The New Academy
by Dizzy
Summary: You know, I don't know what to say of this. It's MY own little sequel to the Trilogy, without Mara or anything like that, mostly because I've not read a single book that tell about what follows....If you're Mara's lovers well, take a look, just to say 'I'
1. New feelings

1

**1**

The room was silent; the Senators mute, waiting for Mothma's words. The oval table was covered by regular, white amounts of paper. Even if the people were all serious and dressed with the outfit of the Senate, it was more like an informal 'Rebel briefing'.

Leia, second in command, was near Mon Mothma. The two women in the senatorial suit, with the symbol of the command around the neck, were at one end of the table; on their left and right side two stiff guards in the military blue suit with a long mantel fixed on the shoulders by two gleaming rounded fasteners. 

Two chairs after, his beloved brother, in the military suit, was looking at the report in front of him. He could feel the wait in Senators' hearts, even Leia was waiting, but not, like the others in the room, Mothma's words - she knew them perfectly- but the reactions of the assembly. When Mothma got up all the heads turned at once, looking eagerly at her. Luke looked up at the woman with empty eyes. Being a Jedi had its downs: he knew what was going to happen, unfortunately. Luke looked up at the woman with empty eyes; he knew, and it was boring, what was going to happen… 

"All of you know how difficult it's for us and our departments go on with our life. We've left Yavin 4 and Cloud City is a beautiful city. We have to thank General Carlissian, " and she bowed a little smiling to the man at the other end of the table, who answered with his classic irreverent smile, "for his permission to use his city l as ike our provisory base." There was a pause. Mothma gave the congress the time to absorb those preliminary remarks.Luke noticed , and that the faces hadn't changed expression: the Senators were still confused. He Luke stopped looking at the President's hesitant eyespeople in the room and started examining the dossier. 

In the firsts twenty lines Mothma had described the situation; , in the next little paragraph she explained the solution. It was clear that they couldn't remain on the flying city anymore. Lando, during more than one occasion, had complained the status of his city. Luke could clearly remember when, during a little reunion of the band at Leia and Han's apartment, the General, drunk and tired, had exploded in a long, passionate, and most of all, loud, speech about his poor city, left alone in the middle of the cold space, longing for someone to visit and make her happy with his credits…Cloud City was a business center, legal and illegal, and now most of the 'particular' businessmen had liked better to move their affairs to a calmer place. He felt sorry for his friend, even if he didn't approve some of his businesses.Lando had still to clean his city from the tainting Imperial presence. Only the high towers where the Republic was established reminded the past beauty of that extraordinary floating city Thetaintingpresence of the Empire had left deep scars and a persistent unpleasant smell even on the ethereal City among the Clouds.

Mothma, after a deep breath, talked again. Luke listened to her, keeping on looking at the dossier.

"In the dossier before you, there is the possible solution I, Senator Organa Solo, the Military and Strategy Commander Tomiw'ke, the Logistic Officers Gajk and Delaford have found. Senator Organa and Delaford will explain the solution, according with the others." 

Mothma sat down and Leia got up in the same moment. She opened her personal data pad and entered rapidly the access code. In the middle of the table appeared the model of a planet.

"As you see, it's an artificial planet, we were thinking of re-building a planet-city, like Coruscant. It could be finished in a standard year at most. We have done this 3D model to show you. Here," and a part of the model became yellow, " we put the Senate, with the President's apartment and offices at the top of the building, near," and the group of towers closer to the Senate became green, "the Military Center and two little military spaceports. Not far from that district, there'll be the Great Jedi Academy with the Towers of the Council and all the sleeping quarters it could need." 

Luke looked at the red zone on the model, excited and fearful at the same time, enraptured by the vision of the high towers that rose from the main building like the fingers of a hand. That series of buildings would be built for him, for his knowledge, for what he was for the Republic and the assorted assembly who was now looking at a purple zone. His moment was gone. 

Now Leia, calm and cold as usual, was reporting the other main buildings, which would be placed, on the surface of the new Coruscant. The main city in the project hadn't been contemplated, the whole planet would be the City: the 'Core of the Galaxy'.

Step by step the planet was all colored. Delaford explained the peculiar features of the new planet-city. The generators of a potent deflector shield, all around the surface and three other protective rings, placed like the finger of a guarding hand, that could be connected by another deflector shield. A flight unit –four cruisers, as big as a Star Destroyer, and ten frigates equipped and ready to defend the planet– would fly in the space around the planet and during the construction of the Capital city they would defend the growing planet. The operators and the pilots had been already convoked and were only waiting for the affirmative signal.

The Senate was enthusiastic and Leia, Delaford and Mothma, the only members of the N.C.B.C. (New Coruscant Building Crew) who had come to the meeting, were clapped and acclaimed.

His comlink beeped and Luke, apologizing, got out the room to answer.

In the corridor there were two pilots, in their orange suit, waiting for Luke. The taller was beating a foot on the floor, examining with false interest his helmet; the other swung a little on the toes, looking at the door.When the door opened Luke recognized immediately the pilots, frowning a little.

"Commander Skywalker," saluted the pilots stiffening. Luke answered with a hurried gesture of the hand.

"Rorje, Manal, why are you here?!" asked the man knitting his brows, confused.

"You've forgotten our test with the new fighter. The Tech. Dept. have asked you to test the new XV-Wing…"explained Rorje, a dark haired Bakuran man with thousands of hours of flight, one of the first friends Luke had found on Cloud City after his father's death. He, lieutenant Ghia and Manal had been his companions in more than one mission. 

"It was today!" Exclaimed the commander, beating the palm of the hand on the forehead, "come back to the docking bay, say to the Experimentation Crew that I'm coming." He saluted and hurried toward a coming turbolift. Halfway toward the turbolift he turned, "Don't try to apologize for me!" 

"Yes sir."

The two pilots saluted and ran to the turbolift.

Inside the turbolift Luke let out an angry sigh. He had forgotten the test: that standard week, as the previous one, had passed talking to mothers and fathers of ' promising young Jedi', trying not to frighten the already terrified kids. Most of them couldn't be Jedi, five of all the kids had the possibility but Luke hadn't a place for them and had told all the parents of the little Jedi to take them to the Inn of a friend of his. He had to think about them after the test… 

Jedi here Jedi there, all the people everywhere talked about Jedi and were waiting for the new Academy…In the Galaxy the poor people who now had the unhoped-for freedom wanted and probably deserved the miracles they thought a Jedi could do. But Luke wasn't able to do miracles and the faces he had met, all around the endless Galaxy, during the military operations, had left a sorrowful scar in his soul. He wasn't the man the Galaxy needed; he often had thought he neither was a Master, as the people believed.

One year had passed after Endor and the young Jedi, because he was still young, was treated like an old Jedi Master.

The docking bay was lucid and clean like a mirror. Stripes of light from the ceiling fell on the people and the machines, delineating intricate arabesques of lights and shadows on them. 

The fighters, seven gray big birds ready to fly up in the cold open space for the first time, occupied all the space with their aggressive presence, the sharp snouts and the dark triangular eyes, gleaming in the neon lights. The shape of the new starfighter was the same of the old X-Wing, and the use of an astromech droid was quite obsolete, but the engine and the control system had been modified. Even the fiber of the hull had been made less heavy but more resistant. The old shape hid a powerful new body. 

Two R2 units rolled beeping and whistling before R2-D2, waiting near one of the fighter, but the droid didn't answer, his only eye was focused on the entrance of the docking bay, eager to see the known tall figure of his friend.

The E.C., a multi-ethnic group of people and aliens, was talking around a table and was clear that the two pilots had tried to defend their commander. The Jedi, and sometimes his training was more useful than he could think, felt a respectful fear winding among the people, all of them were waiting his arrival without a reproach ready for him, except for one, whose thoughts were all for the test and who, Luke was sure, wanted to reproach him.

Luke was coming and a blond head turned, two probing eyes focused on him. Passing the news to the other, General Garays rose from her chair and took a step forward the nearer fighter. The orange-dressed commander saluted and was saluted. No one reproached him for his delay. Once again Luke hadn't been treated like a normal person but like a man however and always superior and he hated that condition. The only person who knew he would be the leader of the test was the only one who Luke had felt would reprehend him. 

Reana Garays, a strong self-confident Bestinian woman with an old battle scar on the left cheek, was near the XV-Wing, with a data pad and an absorbed expression. Her green and austere eyes, and no one dared to look into them, stopped on him then came back to the data pad.

"General Garays, Commander Skywalker is here," Presented efficiently an aged Almanian with the gray suit of the civil staff. Garays nodded, without stopping her controls, and Rjk's face became pale and worried, she hadn't demonstrated the respect Luke's status required. Luke noticed the worried expression painted on the face of the man and, to reassure him, saluted his superior clicking his heels and taking the free hand at the temple's height in a formal military salute. 

"So you're the famous Commander Skywalker…" the dark green eyes of the woman were focused on his face and Luke felt a little uncomfortable. He had known the General only by the comments his friends had made about her after the missions or during the briefings and now he understood the respect they demonstrated.

"Yes I am," Answered Luke, stiff like a pole driven in the floor.

"I know you're a Jedi," Said the woman with a calm voice. Luke could hear the silent crewbehind him, iced and anxious, "but now you're only the commander of this test and I'm your superior, don't expect more respect than the other pilots…" Luke did a deep nod in the general perturbation. He would have laughed at the behavior of the crew around him if the eyes of the General hadn't been focused on him. 

"I'm a pilot, a Commander, you're my General, _you deserve respect…" said Luke with his most respectful tone._

"Well Commander, strap on your helmet and let me see what you can make this new baby do…" in the voice Luke recognized an encouragement and the commander was quite sure she had even smiled.

"Yes sir…" 

Luke wore the helmet, running to his fighter and climbed up the staircase. R2 spun and whistled his joy. Two operators put the astromech droid into his reserved socket, behind the cockpit.

"How are you Artoo?" asked Luke greeting his metallic friend who answered with and happy whistle and a short speech.

"The ground life is not for us, you're right…" added the man while the canopy was closing.

The flying controls were all around him. He could easily handle the control column at his left, feeling the trigger for the torpedoes and the button for the laser, at the top of the column. He did the check procedures, controlling the air percentage in the cockpit and the monitoring screens, one for his own fighter and one, that was only in the Leaders' fighters, to oversee the general conditions of the squad. All was perfect and after a sigh of relief the commander opened the frequency of his comlink. The other pilots hurried to their fighters and the voices of the R2 units filled the hangar. 

"Red Leader ready for the test…" announced Luke. His clear voice resounded in the hangar. The people left the docking bay heading for the control room, five meters upper, where the ground staff was preparing the control system to let the E.C. follow the test.

The dull quiver of the engines became a buzzing and then a deafening whistle, the pilots gave the positive sign and the squadron took off leaving soon the tumultuous atmosphere of Bespin. 

The dark space around him, made Luke feel like a little being in that immensity so clear and absolute. It wasn't necessary to be a Jedi to feel the cold and warm space like the arms of a gentle mother.

"Red squadron, open the S-foils." 

The fighters opened silently their wings. Luke was at the head of the group, waiting for the proximity alarm. 

"Here Red Leader, are you ready?" Asked, the eyes lost in the universe: he was seeing again the dark and beautiful space after the busiest week he had ever had.

"Red four, standing by," Confirmed Rorje. 

"Red seven standing by," Said excited Helen Ghia, one of the three women in Luke's squadron.

"Red five standing by…commander where have you been during this week? You lost Manal's birthday party!" the playful reproach Furana Tor did made the pilots laugh, even the serious Jedi smiled.

"Red two standing by," Phil'ke's serious voice iced the hilarity of the group. The apparently cold and indifferent Chigan was not the only not human pilot in the New Republic Flying Troops but was one of the iciest and most silent.

"Comm. Skywalker, there's a squadron of autopiloted TIE fighters, destroy them…" Garays's voice interrupted the silence. Luke nodded.

"Ok, let me finish my check," said that, Luke hit a little button and a red warning light beeped and blinked on Manal's control panel. In the little screen on his right side Luke could recognize, moment by moment, the position and the conditions of the fighters. Manal's XV-Wing became yellow.

Manal's voice came after a second, "Red three standing by, Boss. Don't worry for the party." 

Luke shook his head. "Manal, I have been too busy, I apologize, but I book for your next birthday party."

"T-thank you commander."

"Can I speak?! My mother was right, when two Tatooinan are speaking they can go on for a standard millennium." 

Manal opened his mouth to give a sharp answer to Vega, the Dantooinan woman with the longest tongue in the universe, but his fighter was shaken by a laser blast on the left side.

"I have one of our friends at…" Manal looked the proximity indicator "Two-Oh-Four Sector-L4," finished, starting the escaping procedure. His R2 unit shrieked astounded by one another blast. 

"Break and attack," ordered the commander.

The XV-Wing fighters found their enemies. Luke waited until everyone else found a target. 

"Change gear: activate the V-wings configuration, commander," asked the General. Luke found the little button and hit it. The fighter changed his aspect: the upper open wings moved nearer the rear and rotated an angle of 20°. The lower wings rose until they were placed at 50 cm from the upper wings. The fighter was now like an eagle, ready to attack his victim. Luke heard the General talking to his squad and the other fighters changed gear. The enemies were, as always, slow and with the new trim the XV-Wings were faster and more maneuverable. Helen expressed appreciation for the change.

"Ehi! Whose is the project of this super fighter?!!"

"I know but I can't tell you…" answer Rorje in a mysterious voice, smiling.

"No Rorje, you have to!! I want to know the super mind who invented this jade!"

"Red Seven shall you pay attention at the test, you'll know that name later," Thundered Luke, the joy hadn't to shift the attention from the battle, even if it was only a test. Everyone silenced. In that serious moment to everyone's mind came a terrible memory: the accident that had killed Red Eight and Nine. Furana sighed.

"The Boss is right, let's finish this test."

"I'm sorry, I've been so stupid," Helen didn't speak for the rest of the test. 

Luke was in his fighter, rethinking of the accident. A part of him was guiding the XV-Wing and the other part was losing in the past. Before he drowned in his memory he locked a TIE before him. 

He closed his eyes while in front of them was appearing the happy face of Red Eight, Yun Bren, and her smile so bright and delighted. Then the memory ran to that damned escorting mission with the A-Wings in the Dagobah system, controlled by a gang of space pirates.

Yun hadn't notice, in the joyful yells for her first victim, the alarm that was informing her about torpedoes right towards her. The light of the explosion burned in his mind as if he got it right in front of him. The voice of Yun's brother then, Red Nine, echoed in Luke's ears, while the present battle was going on. It had been his fault if he had lost two pilots…no one had accused him but he knew he was that way: he hadn't stopped Fran, Yun's brother, from throwing himself against the fighter that had shot. Because he had felt something in the Force…

Luke sighed deeply, looking out at the dark space then focused on the control panel on his left side. His target was still there; Luke was bored and decided to put an end to that duel.

The auto piloted TIE tried often to put itself behind Luke but the human pilot was still shooting its rear. The laser blasts were deviated by the deflector shield for the firsts times, but Luke was insistent. The TIE veered on the right and Luke followed its movement. The ship zigzagged desperately, for a moment was clear it was going to crash against another TIE, but this dived down and Luke passed undisturbed.

"You're good but I'm better," murmured the pilot, half-closing his cerulean eyes. His target was the shield generator. The Republic had armed the TIE with a deflector shield generator; in a real battle the TIE in front of him would have been a ball of fire minutes ago…

"Computer: the generator," said Luke. The computer promptly answered: on the control viewer, in the upper part of the cockpit, the generator blinked and beeped. Luke chose the torpedoes and, when the generator became red, pulled the trigger down. Perhaps the torpedoes could have been launched directly against the rear, but the destructive power of the weapon was less than a half and Luke knew it.

The deflector shield generator of the fighter exploded, more for the shock wave than for the power of the torpedo. Another laser blast and the TIE fighter was only a memory. The TIE became an incandescent ball of fire, a pretty red and orange firework. 

"Good commander, you destroyed it in one minute and forty seconds, you beat Wedge's record." Rjk's voice took him back to the present. Other four TIEs exploded one by one, mown down by the efficient pilots.

"I hope he won't get too angry," Luke tried to joke but his voice was low, unnatural for him. The commander looked around to recognize the situation of his squadron.

Now there were only two…no, one TIE. Manal appeared in the burning ball of metal suspended in the space. The last TIE exploded the second after, hit by the Chigan pilot's laser cannon. 

"Ok Red Angels we can come back home," announced Luke still half lost in the past pain.

He hardly smiled at the hip-hip-hurrah acclaims of the pilots. 

Later the group reunited in the turbolift.

"That new fighter is fantastic, what do you think?!" queried Helen, with her melodious voice.

"Yes, yes, Helen, but now shall we think of a place to go to eat something?" asked impatient Rorje. His serious voice made the group laugh. "Hey I'm hungry! What are you laughing at?!"

"You're always hungry Rorje!!" reproached smiling Furana. The turbolift stopped and the door opened. Luke saluted his group.

"I'm sorry, I can't come with you. Eat for me too, Rorje!" and got out of the turbolift. Furana called him.

"But commander?!" yelled the thin, dark haired Wasal, waving her arms. Luke didn't turn. His tall and orange-dressed shape disappeared in a cone of shadow and Furana gave up calling him. "Why didn't he stop?! I called him!!" shouted when the door closed, crossing the arms with a loud sigh. Phil'ke touched her shoulder and said calm.

"He's an important person, he's busy…he can't go out with his friends often:" 

"Often?!" contested Helen, "How many times, in the last month, did he go out with us?!" 

The Chigan looked at the woman perplex. 

Manal nodded. "She's right…he's busy, too busy for us."

"It's because he's a Jedi," added Rorje in a serious tone. 

Furana yelled. "Heard!! It's not fair! He's our friend…" her voice reduced to a whisper, "we have passed less time together than a bantha with the soap, to use an expression of your home…" 

Vega smiled and shook her head. "Furana, we can't help it, we can only hope he'll find a while for us."

Rorje hit a switch on the control panel of the turbolift and asked for the Block 5, Sector W-8.

"Why do you want to go to the Recreation Center Rorje, weren't you hungry?" asked Vega with a surprised voice.

"I thought we could eat something in front of a holo-film…have other plans?"

"No," answered Vega. The other confirmed.

"It's a good idea," said Manal, clapping the hands.

"Yeah!" His comlink buzzed and Phil'ke, apologizing, answered. He listened for a minute then answered.

"Ok, I'm coming," said the Chigan, nodding. Sighing he replaced the comlink in the pocket, "I'm sorry group, I can't come…I'm wanted at Sector 2, my father wants me at his apartment, problem with…oh I don't know…something with oncoming relatives I guess."

"It'll be for another time Phil'ke," smiled Furana, patting on his shoulder. The Chigan nodded and asked for the Sector 2, where the Senate had the sleeping quarter. The turbolift stopped after a minute and the door opened.

"Bye," sighed the pilot saluting his friends with the right hand up, giving them the back.

"Bye!" saluted the other, while the door was silently closing. 

The apartment was silent. Empty.

The bedroom was simple and bright; the big window encircled a beautiful day. 

The pastel pink clouds were slowly moving like the dunes on Tatooine, eternal nomads of the sky. Cloud City was a little island in an ethereal light sea.

Blades of lights from the upper little window lit the room, giving it an unreal and magic atmosphere. The writing desk, with the computer, was near the window, covered by reports and projects for new fighters, that Luke hadn't seen yet. On a corner of the lucid desk a holo-photo of Luke with Leia, Han, Chewie near the Star Horse, the ship his friends had given him for his twenty-third birthday, two months before. The fly-suit was on the bed, with the helmet and the gloves. 

Luke was changing clothes in the near room, wearing his Jedi dark shirt and trousers and, after the belt and the boots, the heavy dark brown cloak. He hadn't changed his clothes to adopt the 'official Jedi outfit', by now. He felt he had to remind every moment his father and the dark ages he had lived and that'd help him in the future. After a look in the mirror, the Jedi got out the room and took a look out of the window. 

What a beautiful sight! So calm…

The image gave him a peaceful feeling that filled his heart relaxing him. Picking up the lightsaber, the Jedi Master thought about the people he was going to meet: other parents, other children, other young Jedi…

Thinking about the new Jedi, Luke noticed that he hadn't asked yet Mon Mothma the permission to use the Great Temple on Yavin4 as his new Academy, until the new Capital-planet would be finished. Even if he thought that build a whole planet wouldn't be the best solution, he had to admit that giving one planet the honor to give hospitality to the Republic would be an offence for the other planets.

_I have to remember to ask her the permission. Thought, opening the door. _

In the corridor Luke noticed something, an unknown Force sensitive was there, near him. 

He reached the turbolift, expanding his senses all around him to feel where the person was. He called the turbolift, but all his being was projected behind his back following the Force sensitive's way toward him.

"Master Luke," someone called him, he expected it, "Master Luke." He waited another second, trying to recognize the female voice, the hand ran silently to the lightsaber, then turned. 

The woman Luke was looking at was as tall as him, perhaps a bit more, with long brown hair and green eyes. Her face was cheerful and the expression of her eyes embarrassed. She stood there looking at him eager, following with attention his hand moving from the lightsaber –after all he was still the impulsive reckless fellow Ben had brought from Tatooine– to a more pacific position, lost in the long sleeves of the cloak. 

"Yes I am, who are you?" asked Luke, taking a look at the red suit of the woman, searching for the symbol of her Dept., but the suit hadn't got any insignia. He was curious to know who she was. But as his eyes stopped in hers, Luke felt his throat dry and immediately adopted a passive stance, looking at the woman trying to see through her, not to feel the odd sensation that was, though, burning inside him.

"Oh, sure, you don't know me…I'm Irene Trounal and I want to become a Jedi Knight," declared the woman, hiding her embarrassment with the high volume of her voice.

Luke nodded a little. Irene stood there, waiting immobile for his response. Looking into each other eyes, but he wasn't really looking at her, the two of them staid there for a minute or two. 

_She's the Force sensitive… Shecould be a Jedi, and I need an adult apprentice to look after the younger ones…and…_

"We can speak about it" The high tone of his voice startled a little the woman, Luke saw her short movement backward, "You'll do the test, even if probably you are too old to begin,"his voice changed, coming back at its normal tone. Luke looked straight in her eyes. He did a big effort though, to keep his eyes pointed at her, the odd sensation him was still there.

"Thank you Master!!" she was going to cry, noticed the man, smiling a little with a tender glance. Irene bit her lower lip to stop the tears.

"Now I have an appointment, you can come with me. When I finish, you'll do the test," said cold Luke, forcing himself to the most passive and emotionless stance he knew, pressing the call-button on the panel of the turbolift.

"I'll wait with patience," the tone had changed. Instead of the initial happiness there was the subsequent determination all the real Jedi had during their apprenticeship. Luke noticed the change, even if he hadn't wanted it.

He entered the turbolift, Irene followed him and the door of the turbolift silently closed. 

Mon Mothma was in her private office talking to Leia. During the conversation, Mothma and Leia had talked about the excited acclamations they had received from the Senators. The Senator was still surprised for that but Mothma had smiled and the conversation was now about the credits they had to ask the planets. The Chief of State seemed to be tired and was talking slowly, looking at something behind the screen. Leia tried to end the conversation to give her the time to take some rest. She had waken up forty-two standard hours before and her face was pale, the voice reduced to a suffered whisper.

"Leia, when Coruscant has been destroyed, we all have thought that we couldn't have another strong symbol. You remember the panic that filled the assembly when we received the tragic news. Now we can make it live again and I want to be there." Her ardent voice was going to convince Leia once again.

Leia nodded. "President, we can explain the project efficiently even without your presence, you need repose," said preoccupied the Senator but Mothma shook her head.

"No, I must be there when you ask the credits to the other Senators," replied the older woman beating the fists on the table, with a jump of strength.

"Mothma, we can do it. The planets are not rich now but if we promise them more protection from the vandal acts of the Imperial Troops," Leia was trying the impossible to avert Mothma's presence. 

"Leia, Coruscant had been the Symbol of the Republic and we have to keep it. I told you to explain the project, it's my duty to be there when you ask the money for it."

"But you're working too much. The planets want Coruscant and they…pay, simply. You've not to be there to convince that already convinced assembly."

"I…think you're right," the President yawned, feeling tired for the first time since she had gotten up, forty-three hours before. Leia smiled.

"Now President, switch off the work for a while and sleep," recommended the Senator.

"You convinced me Leia," admitted the President, "bye."

"Bye Mothma."

The screen of the Comsys became dark. Mothma took a look at her office: she spent most of her time there, talking to the Senators and the delegates of the Mercantile Alliances, disseminated in all of the known universe. Sighing, the woman rose from the chair of the desk. A little green plant was on a shelf. Mothma caressed with the fingertips a leaf, smiling. That little plant was like the New Republic, a flower hard to cultivate that needed constant cares.

_I only hope you'll grow vigorous and strong to fight the cold winds. _

The President sighed and smiled, saluting her little plant. She hit a button, calling her personal guards. An enormous, dark haired guard invaded the little screen of the Comsys of the door.

"At your service, Ma'am," said the guard bowing.

"I'm coming back to my apartment."

From inside the room Mothma heard a sound of hurrying steps. Then the door opened.

The silent group, Mothma was barely visible behind the brawny wall of shoulders, walked throughout a green waiting room, with many chairs and sofas.

The big, rounded room seemed enormous for the young boy Luke had taken inside. Liby was waiting for the Master to talk but it didn't seem like he was going to. The boy let out a short sigh and took a look at the room, that smell of cleanness and flowers. Long the wall in front of him there were a long and comfortable sofa and an armchair on which Luke was sitting. He was in the middle and felt alone there, with the stranger before him, sitting on his throne. 

A spaceship flew behind Luke and Liby followed its way toward the outer space. The windows didn't tremble when the engines of the ship started working at full speed and took the ship out of his sight and soon Liby found himself staring again at the man in the brown cloak. He felt inadequate. His blue shirt was the most horrible comparing it with the fantastic black one of the man, the Jedi… and his boots weren't as clean as his. The young boy turned and looked at the door, scratching the back of his head.

"How do you feel boy?" Luke's voice made him turn immediately; his deep blue eyes looked at him as if they were reading his soul.

Liby swallowed, "Fine…sir." 

Luke had in his hand a small hand-held viewscreen and was ready for the test. He looked at the view-screen for a moment, concentrating his mind on it. Liby looked at him, waiting. 

"Liby now tell me what you see in your mind," the boy nodded.

The boy concentrated as much as he could, an image formed in his mind and he smiled.

"A speeder." Luke changed the image a few times.

"A tree."

"A ship."

"A cup." 

"Another tree."

"Another speeder."

"A house." The Master nodded when the seventh image passed on the screen.

"Good Liby, now shall we have another test?" His tender voice helped the boy relaxing.

"Yes, I'm not tired!" Liby didn't want to shout but he was too happy to just talk and kept smiling when he saw the Master smiling with him. Luke replaced the viewscreen and took a little piece of wood. Liby followed with attention his movements. Luke flashed the picture on the wood before Liby's eyes and then hid it.

"Liby, what have you seen?" said Luke.

The young guy thought a moment, the image formed again in his mind and he smiled, "A piece of wood, as big as your hand. It's old; there are some holes on the bottom. There's a picture: a blue sea with four white waves, a beach and on the left corner there's a light pink seashell, someone had walked on the beach because there's a column of footprints, headed to the right of the picture. Do you know Yoda? There's his signature on the bottom of the picture, is he your friend?" 

Luke smiled and nodded, "Yes, he was my friend." 

Liby saw a strange expression on the face of the man and rose an eyebrow, bending the head on a side, confused. He gained a serious stance when Luke rose and reached him, stopping in front of the boy, who looked up in his eyes, with the simplicity of his child's heart. The Master put his hands on his shoulders. 

"I, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, welcome you in the Jedi Academy, Liby Salden."

Liby embraced Luke throwing himself in his arms and the Master caressed his head. He had succeeded and was happy of that, really happy. Now that he was going to be a Jedi his brothers and sisters wouldn't harm him anymore, he would show them his powers! 

The man moved backward with a serious glance. Liby sighed looking at him with fearful eyes.

"Vengeance is not a feeling a Jedi can keep in his heart. Remember this, if you want to be a great Jedi, and a better man." Liby nodded and finally smiled when Luke smiled, inviting him to go with him with a gesture of the hand.

On the doorstep, while the door was opening, Liby turned toward the man. "Am I going to have an outfit as cool as your?"

Luke pushed him, smiling. "You've to gain it."

Out of the door there were other young Jedi, with their parents. Liby's mother ran to her son. 

"Then Master, is he going to learn the way of the Jedi?" asked the woman. Luke smiled a little and nodded.

"Yes, he's a strong Force sensitive. He will be a good Jedi."

"Thank you Master," With a religious respect the woman knelt before him and kissed the edge of Luke's cloak. Luke helped her up and escorted her and Liby out of the door, a little embarrassed by the behavior of the woman. 

Yoda had described the situation of the little Padawan; they had to be found around in the Galaxy and conducted before the Great Council of the Jedi. Every Jedi Master could have one, and one only, Padawan not to disturb the balance of the Force. Luke had repeatedly read all the ancient books and datacards he had found in Yoda's hut and on Tatooine, in Ben's home; it was forbidden to have more than one apprentice, but Luke couldn't follow one by one the apprentices, the Galaxy and the Senate needed a new Jedi Order and he was there to build it up.

When the group was on the doorway Luke spoke again.

"Please, would you take him at Sector 6/4b? Tell the woman at the reception that Liby is one of my chosen, she'll find a room for him, then," and Luke breathed deeply –he knew the more difficult part had come– "you have to leave him. You can visit him when you want but I tell it for the best: don't come too often, it's for his best. If you can, never come again."

"Oh. Well…I understand, if it's for his best," Da'ka bowed and Liby saluted Luke, with his bright smile.

Luke kept looking at the closed door of the turbolift for a moment. He then pivoted, pushed by the duty he had to accomplish, to face another little child. Of the twelve kids he had checked only three had passed the exam, the other had been taken there by their parents anxious to have a Jedi in the family, thinking of nothing but the glory that would come, overlooking the best of their children. Fortunately Luke made his tests with every attention and the saved kids had smiled and embraced their savior.

The next kid was a blue skinned girl, with big eyes and one only long lock of hair from the forehead to the neck, fastened with a gray ribbon. Luke was going to talk to them, he had opened his mouth to welcome them as usual, when he stopped. His eyes were looking at someone behind them, in the far corner of the room. Irene. The woman raised her head, probably feeling his eyes, and looked at him. Luke felt his throat dry and his heart jumping in his chest. Everything became foggy in his mind for a long moment. He then frowned, shook the head to gain the control of his emotions and focused on the child before him, concentrating so much to feel pain.

The little alien looked terrified at him. He gave her a calm and reassuring glance than raised his hand as if he was ready to cast a spell on the parents. 

"You have to wait outside," said, using the respect Liby's mother had shown he deserved. The mother turned to ice and bowed, making his husband do the same.

Luke took the frightened child inside the oval room.

"My name is Luke Skywalker, and you, what's your name dear?" asked the Master, leaving the girl in the center of the room. The little alien looked around then talked. 

"My name is Dakana," whispered unsure the girl.

"Nice to meet you Dakana. Now, shall we do a test?"

"A test?!"

"Yes, don't worry you have only to tell me," and picked up the viewscreen, "what do you see in your mind, understood?" Luke felt he was doing the test for the first time; every new child was a surprise and filled him with an infantile joy.

The little alien nodded and Luke switched on the screen.

Leia Organa Solo was in front of the door of the doctor's surgery. The woman had been there for two hours, thinking of opening or not that door. Two weeks ago she had been there and now it was the day for the response. Han had told her not be frightened. 'I'll be by your side sweetheart…'

Sighing and shuddering a little the Senator touched the doorbell. From inside the door Leia heard someone moving toward the door. In front of her appeared the doctor.

"Senator! Please come in, I was thinking you would be there for another couple of hours." 

An irritated smile ran across Leia's lips. The doctor led her to his desk and sat down. 

"Please sit down," said overjoyed the Corellian doctor, and Leia's eyes narrowed suspicious.

"I'm here for the analysis."

"Oh yes yes!" the man rose from the chair, rubbing his hands, with a smile. Leia was disturbed by his behavior, she hadn't liked that doctor from the beginning but Han had recommended him and she had accepted. The Senator took a look around and saw a thing that surprised her. On a shelf there was a holo-photo of a younger Han, she recognized the arrogant and self-confident smile that had conquered her heart, in the full military suit of the Corellian Star Academy. Near him, the doctor…THE DOCTOR?!!

"Do…do you know Han Solo?" asked unsure the woman, surprised by the photo.

"Yes, if being his uncle means to know him…" said the doctor absent, with the head in a cupboard "Oh! I found it!!" the little datacard glittered for a moment then the doctor inserted it in the computer and in front of Leia appeared the result of her test.

"I'm more than glad to announce that you're officially pregnant, ma'am," Leia wanted to laugh and cry, to hug the doctor and jump like an animal in the room, a thousand and one feeling had exploded in her.

"A girl or a boy?" whispered. 

The doctor smiled again. "Don't worry, you'll have two at the price of one."

"Two?!" Leia counted on the fingertips and looked the two fingers. "Two…" murmured than, surer and more confused at the same time. The doctor deposited before her a little glittering datacard. 

"Well, here you are something to read, 'mom'…" Leia stood up and greeting the doctor, looking like she had inhaled a laughing gas.

"Bye," the doctor answered clapping his hands.

The light of the corridor was brighter than she remembered and Leia had to protect her eyes with the hand. Someone ran to her and took her hands.

"Ehi, sweetheart…then?!" was Han's voice and Leia looked up at him, with her dreaming look.

"Two," she repeated. The number echoed in Han's ears and made him happy and frightened.

"Two sweetheart?!" Leia nodded and hugged him; Han could only hug her back and smile.

"Two," murmured the General, on his face the same happy and stunned expression.

_Luke…Luke… called out Leia, concentrating on her brother._

Luke was in the oval room; Irene was in front of him in the middle of the room. She had passed the tests and Luke was examining her, fighting the strange power that burnt him every time he looked at her or just thought about her. Leia reached him, shaking him a bit.

_Leia?! _

_Two Luke…echoed in his mind, but he didn't understand. Suddenly Irene's presence in their exchange of thoughts confused him even more._

_Congratulation sis…_

_Irene, you're there…_

_I told you I would come here for the test. Luke mentally blinked, shocked._

_Sis? Asked frowning the eyebrows, surprised._

_Yes Luke, she is the sister I had on Alderaan, I thought she had died when the Empire had destroyed the planet but fortunately she was far from Alderaan…_

_Yes I was on Hantel5, singing at the Norandel, with my Jizz band when the catastrophe happened… _

_So you're not a real sister… Irene and Leia smiled. __Why have I made this question?!!!??? Asked to himself the Jedi, feeling embarrassed. But the news was too important and Leia was too animated to keep calm Luke…_

_Sis, something wrong?!_

_Is it possible that you haven't understood: she's expecting two babies!_

_Two…two what?!!_

_Luke keep calm, you're a Jedi, have you forgotten it?! Leia's voice came to reassure her shocked brother. Irene laughed. _

_I'll be 'Uncle Luke', sounds good…does Han know the news?_

_He's here, we're going to our apartment, and he had called Lando, Chewie…and his Uncle Redel…_

_Redel, but Redel isn't the doctor's name?_

_Exactly, he's his uncle, the brother of his father…_

_I know who an uncle is! Leia I have good news too…Luke announced._

_What is it?_

_I've found my old apprentice and you know her well…_

_Irene!!!_

_Master…_

_I'm not alone now._

_I'll wait for you two then, bye!_

_Bye Leia._

_Bye mom!_

Irene nodded, opening her eyes and Luke got up his chair. The woman had a bright smile painted on her face and when he looked at her, with cold eyes, the smiled faded. Luke reproached himself for what he had done but it was necessary, whatever was going on between them.

Together, Irene following the Master a step behind him, they got out the room and reached the turbolift. 

In the big apartment there were only five people but Lando's loud monologues filled it as if there had been hundreds of people talking. Han, sat on the sofa, with the hands behind the head and the legs stretched out, listened to him with false attention, looking in his direction but at his wife. He noticed the expression on her face change in a few seconds. The severe eyes enlightened as if a drum had called her and then she ran to the door. Han nodded, smiling. _It's Luke…_thought trying not to yawn. Redel near him was following Lando's speech with the same attention and looked at the nephew hiding a big yawn behind the full glass. He didn't turn immediately, taking a look at the city outside.

"C'mon! We were waiting for you!" He heard the singing voice of his wife and a moment after Irene's answer "Oh…Leia!". And then he turned. Why wasn't Luke talking? 

And he saw him. Luke stood behind the women, following them as a silent ghost. As soon as his eyes focused a bit on his friend and his brain elaborated there was something wrong, something out of the Luke he knew, he rose and left the sofa, patting on Chewbacca's arm with a gesture of the head to point at Luke.

He moved as rapid as his ship, dodging Lando, the table and the other sofa with incredible ability, but he hadn't the time to feel proud of that…Leia welcomed Luke with a tight embrace but he answeredwith a moment of delay, as if thinking. When Han reached the friend he gave a broad smile of his to Irene and Leia.

" If you excuse us, madams. I don't want my friend to turn into a piece of furniture listening to you…" Leia tried to speak but he cut her off, embracing Luke and pulling him away.

Lando and the other welcomed him but then the Baron started talking again. Han left him near the sofa.

"Sit down, I'll take you something to drink." 

Luke nodded, not to convinced but when Han came back to him and handed him a glass with a purple liquor in it, the Corellian saw a painful smile ran across Luke's lips as he thanked him for the care. Han studied the friend from the height, Luke didn't seem to notice it and when he sat down Han perceived again that smile.

He sat down with a sigh then spoke, "Ehi, kid, you don't seem happy…" started the man, with a tone surprised enough not to make Luke aware of what he knew. 

The Jedi looked at his friend but didn't speak. Han sighed again and tried another strategy. He suddenly embraced him, messing up his hair. The liquor didn't fall just because it was in Luke's left hand ands Han was sitting at his right. Han kept on with the strategy until Luke reacted, freeing himself from the suffocating effusiveness. He prepared himself and acted as if he was really disappointed. Luke at that face could do nothing but smile.

"I'm so happy and…confused…it's all so strange." Luke's voice was a good sign and Han nodded lightly.

"It's strange for you?! And what do I have to say?" Han talked with a surprised voice, noticing with pleasure that Luke was reacting fine.

"You're right. But…it's Leia…" He was really getting involved in the conversation now.

"Don't worry, brother-in-law, we'll do it!" Han patted on his shoulder, sure that the impression about his friend had gone but he saw for the third time that suffered smile. In the silence that followed Han understood, looking in the direction Luke was looking. Irene and Leia, talking on the other side of the room, near the kitchen. _Luke…poor kid…_ After a silent moment Han moved closer but Luke didn't notice him, he was playing with his glass looking at the movement of the liquid inside it, the eyebrows frowned. When he raised his eyes…

"Han?!"

"Leia told me you've found your apprentice," started the Corellian, measuring the words. Living with Leia had infused in him at least a little bit of the diplomacy she used. Just a bit though… 

"Y-yes. Irene."

"I know but I know something else, either do you," again Han measured every words, he was walking on a mined camp and couldn't fail. The words were though not as diplomatic as he had wanted.

"What are you talking about?!" Luke's voice grew of an octave. _Good sign…_

"I see what's going on between you and her, Luke, you can't hide it," DONE! He had finally talked. He had sometimes regretted his behavior and this was one of that times, though.

"You're raving!" said Luke moving backward.

"Are you so sure?!" The true Han now had taken over the diplomatic one and he couldn't avoid it. 

"Yes!" 

The people in the room silenced and looked at them.

Han saw Leia's distressed eyes focusing on him with inquisitive expression. _It's not my fault…oh…ok, but just a bit!_ The woman reached his brother, still looking at her husband with both the eyebrows raised.

"Luke, can you come with me for a moment?" Asked.

The man rose from the sofa and followed his sister, leaving the glass he was carrying on the table in the middle of the living room.

Irene was in the middle of the room, near the table. What had happened?

She looked a than to find an explanation for what had just happened. Lando murmured something to Redel but Chewie interrupted him with a menacing bark. Han concentrated on them for a moment then studied Irene, alone in the room. With a quick exchange of glance with Chewie, the hairy mountain got up and reached Irene, taking her near the window to admire the city.

Han focused then on what was going on in the kitchen. He could see Leia but not Luke. From where he was he couldn't hear what were they saying and just imagined it when he heard Luke shouting, "NOTHING!", the voices dropped and he heard silence for another minute then saw Luke kiss Leia on the forehead and leave the apartment as fast as a smuggler with the Imperial Troops on his tail.

Leia exited the kitchen when the door closed. When Han turned toward the window he felt deeply guilty for the tears that watered the oval whiteness of Irene's face.

_Meditation will help me. _

Luke was in the middle of the dark living room. Cross-legged on the floor. Gradually his mind opened and he started putting in order his thoughts, examining them to understand the meaning of each one.

What he thought on a side, Han's words on the other. In the middle a whirling mess of feelings and thoughts. With the patience his Jedi training had given him, the man focused on each thought and word, however avoiding the mess in the middle. 

_They're nothing more that mere meaningless words. Han can't see things that don't exist. _

But something in the deep of the mess moved with a noise so loud to make him focus on the whirl. 

_You know…_

_I know? What do I know?!?__Han's wrong, that's all! _

The voice, his own voice, the voice of the deepest side of him, gurgled and silenced. He had pushed it back in his shadow. The rest of his mind was calm now, the voice hadn't shocked him. He stood there for a long time, feeling the world outside, the Universe, his mind taken away in that peaceful river that was the Force. 

With the eyes closed Luke sighed deeply, coming back to his body, feeling again his physical limits all around him.

"Turn the light on Commy," Asked and the computer of the apartment answered rapidly; in the living room was the light. Luke took a look at the chronometer on the wall at his left. _Had passed so much time?! Luke rose from the ground and put on the brown mantle. With a smile he thought about Liby and what he had said about his black outfit. __Children… _

Outside was dark now and Luke found out he was hungry. Threepio wasn't in the apartment, he was enjoying a relaxing bath in the oil somewhere in the City. The man walked slowly, pretty sad for the absence of the noisy metallic friend, for the first time he _wanted his creaking voice and the noise of his steps. _

He felt alone like never before. And cold. He was shuddering. He tried to stop that feeling but as soon as he focused on it the fire that had consumed him until the meditation started again, burning in him like a volcano.

With a steady movement, turning the back to the window Luke directed toward the kitchen. _Tomorrow Irene'll start her training. I'll have my apprentice and keep her at a security distance from me and my mind._


	2. Great year 2

2  
A month had passed and Luke was proud of the result Irene was obtaining, and was more than proud of the effort she was doing to be better in a short time. He hadn't asked her to run so fast but she had probably felt the desperate need he had of an old apprentice -old so to speak-. It was dangerous, Ben had on purpose come to warn the man and Luke had slowed down. Finally, the day before that bright morning, Ben Yoda and Anakin had come to him and had expressed appreciation for the apprentice, letting him bring Irene with him to the test.   
*The day has come...* This was the thought that was winding in his mind while the turbolift was taking him to the Temple.   
  
When the dark dressed figure appeared in the doorway of the turbolift the people in the long bright corridor silenced immediately. The Jedi Master went through the corridor, with a stately walk unusual for him, but that could fit a Jedi Master, and the people didn't dare to rise their eyes till he had passed before them. Eyeing one time at his left and one at his right side, Luke started his search for the Force sensitives. Two creatures in particulars attracted his attention: a sixteen years old boy, with his father, and a young Wookiee, accompanied by a gray haired woman. Luke was quite sure he had seen the little Wookiee somewhere, but he couldn't remember where. The boy attracted his attention because of the odd perception he had of him. Shaking the head to remove the sensation, Luke went on.  
The hooded man reached the door and touched it, not because he opened it that way but to have something solid to feel, before the tests. The comments of the people and the aliens made about him were a barely audible buzz.  
*Home sweet home.*  
The magnificent door opened silently and the light of the rounded room reassured the man. A familiar presence attracted his attention. Without looking at the sides Luke closed the door and walked through the room. He stopped before the armchair and searched for his instruments. He had left them under the armchair and, cleaning them, placed the viewscreen and the pictures painted on the pieces of wood on the armchair, then called Irene.  
"I hoped you would be here," talked measuring cautiously the words. Irene was near the door with the arms folded, with the pale outfit of the Jedi apprentice, the brown mantel graciously arranged on the shoulders.  
"Luke, do I say to you what happened to me when I opened this door?" asked joyfully the woman.   
"No, what?" asked curious Luke, looking at her for a moment while he was switching on the viewscreen, giving her the back.  
"Then, I was in front of the door, there were the same people that are out now, and a man called me touching my shoulder. He was two meters tall, a mountain before me. I looked at him and he asked 'Are you the Master?' I shook my head and he looked at me for a long moment. I didn't know what to do..." Luke was paying attention at the story nodding and smiling. "This mountain called me again and asked, not very gently 'why are you opening the door then?'. I looked at him and answered, talking like an oracle to impress him in some way 'I'm his apprentice!'" Irene was gesturing to give the story a more solid form; Luke had finished preparing the tools and was looking at her, forgetting the people out of the door, " the man knelt down and kissed my boots, I didn't know a Jedi deserve so much respect!" Luke smiled and shook his head.  
"No. Well, I received the same respect. If it doesn't hurt you, I don't see a reason to tell them not to kneel before us!" Luke's heart was beating furiously and his voice was louder not to listen to it. He didn't know what was happening to him but talk to Irene or simple look at her was becoming every day, if not every hour, more difficult for him. Fortunately the woman didn't noticed his feelings, because of the barrier he had built up between him and the world and the apprentice hadn't asked justifications about its existence. Irene laughed and shook her head.  
"You're evil!" exclaimed Irene, shaking her head, evidently delighted by his tone.  
"C'mon open this door and...let's rock!"  
Irene nodded and stopped before the door. Before she hit the switch of the control panel, the woman shook her head and smiled again, rethinking about Luke's words.  
  
Irene took a step in the corridor and a woman rose from her chair, taking with her a little boy, who was kicking and screaming, terrified. The woman bowed   
*Hold the hand of the child and say to the mother to wait outside...* Luke's instruction saved Irene. The little child ran behind the mother but the woman pushed him in front of herself.  
"Hey, dear, give me your hand, do you want?" Irene lowered to look at the child in his brown deep eyes. The child was unsure. The woman spoke, gently but a little upset.  
"Why do you want his hand?"   
Irene looked up.  
"Because you can't come inside..." she said politely.  
"What's the matter! I'm her mother, I must come with him."   
"Madam, you can't..." tried to explain Irene but the woman stopped her.  
"Who are you to say what I can or can't do?" the discussion was taking a wrong way.  
"I'm the apprentice of Master Luke Skywalker..." Irene called the Master and Luke comforted her.  
*Not all the people are so respectful. A Jedi is capable to bow at the enemy Irene, remind this statement. It doesn't matter that she can put his foot on your head but be calm and peaceful, till you can.*  
"You're his slave!" the insult was over the limit of her patience.  
"Don't speak to me in this way!"  
"You're horribly ill-mannered! the Master will have another slave soon!" Irene was hardly keeping the calm, "Let me go inside with him!"  
Luke rose from his armchair and took a step toward the door. The woman saw him and silenced. Luke walked through the room and touched the shoulder of his apprentice. The woman was stupefied.  
"You can't talk to my apprentice in this ill-mannered way," Irene rose and the boy gave her his fragile hand. Irene and the boy got in the room.   
"Now you'll wait here," Ordered Luke, with a calm tone more peremptory than a shout, and the woman nodded. Luke closed the door behind him.  
  
Inside his apprentice was talking to the boy, reassuring him. The sweet sight of Irene, gentle and tender with the boy, made Luke sigh.  
"Now you'll do a test...don't worry, ok?" whispered caressing the child's cheek, "And after the test we'll go out and eat something together, you want?"  
"Where will we go?" asked the boy, Irene had made him forget about the test.  
"Where you want..." the child smiled, nodding. Irene looked up at Luke who nodded and Irene saluted the child and waited the gesture of Luke to get out the room.  
Luke touched the shoulder of the child and smiled.   
"I'm Luke Skywalker, and you?"  
"My name is Adam, Adam Darklighter," the surname of the child surprised Luke.  
"Your father was Biggs Darklighter then," he didn't know Biggs had gotten married and had had a child.  
"No, my uncle name's Biggs, he was a hero...but he died," corrected the child.  
"I knew him," said the man with a sigh.  
"You knew Uncle Biggs?!" Luke nodded, the nephew of his best friend was in front of him. The man left the child in the middle of the room and, leaving the past in a corner of his memory, sat on the armchair. Irene was leaving but Luke called her.  
"No Irene, you sit here," said pointing at the sofa at his right side. Irene stopped and turned back, sitting graciously on the sofa.   
  
The spaceport was noisy as usual, the thunder of the ion engines was deafening. Leia was walking through its main street, at her sides the docking platforms, enormous rooms covered by mobile roofs or simple platforms of durasteel; the squad of guards that was following and surrounding her was cautious and ready to defend the senator. With her two representatives of an important building society, skilled in the building of floating cities, were walking explaining where they were going to take her.  
"We have finished the construction of the frame work of the planet, and we would be more that delighted if you came with us for a first inspection."  
"You've done the structural support of the whole planet? In a month?" Leia was surprised and shocked, she had reassured Lando about the speed of the leaving of his city but she couldn't believe the society had done the structure yet. They were arrived and the two alien stopped in front of the door of a docking bay.  
  
Inside there was a freighter, one of the biggest Leia had ever seen, and the rounded wall of the bay seemed to do a big effort to contain it.  
"You excuse us, but we don't have special ships for the human transport," apologized the taller of the two to the senator who nodded, comprehensively.  
"Don't worry, I have flown in worse ships," answered Leia thinking about the Falcon.  
The hatch was open and the two Abregadoes went on board, followed by Leia and the guards. Leia was led in a space near the bridge, where there were other people who stopped talking when the guards entered the room marching noisily. Leia found seven seats near to a port-hole and sat down. The guards sat down finding the best formation to keep under constant control the port-hole, the door of the corridor and the door of the bridge. The other people in the room kept silence, whispering only if it was necessary. The ion engines thundered and the loud noise covered the comments of the people about the illustrious guest.  
The Abregado1 took off and Bespin soon became a glowing point in an ocean of stars.  
  
In the Council Room had lowered a silence full of waiting and hope. The boy had successfully passed the exams and now Luke was exploring Adam's mind. Irene didn't know what she had to do but when Luke called her to help him in the decision she felt, probably for the first time, important.   
*What do you feel, Irene? * Was an important question and Irene concentrated for a moment in the deepest way she knew.  
*He's a strong Force sensitive, his heart seemed... *  
*It hasn't to seem, it has to be... *  
*Ok, he's not so calm, he's full of fear... *  
*What I felt, exactly, so he's not going to be a Jedi, the fear is a bad feeling for a Jedi.* The sentence thundered in Irene's mind. Luke had decided, the boy hadn't a second chance. That decision had passed through his heart, the boy was Biggs's nephew but the decision of the Master had to be as clear as possible, his heart had to keep silent.   
*But, Master, he can change! *Argued the woman with a rising ardor.  
*I was wrong, your presence makes all more difficult...*and it was true: Irene was the voice of his hearth, the hearth he had reduced to silence when he had decided to build up the New Academy. He had seen and felt and suffered too much. The good of the Galaxy before his feelings. He had learned that rule, and well.   
*I guarantee for him!* Reacted Irene. She had to try.  
*It's not this kind of affairs, he's not a prisoner before the judge.* Explained Luke coldly.  
*I'll guarantee for him, he will be peaceful and calm. You're a fantastic teacher. Let him try!* Irene was begging with a passion she had never had, or shown, before.  
*You know what could happen if we give him the knowledge and we're hoping too much...* Warned the Master, he had narrated her the story of the past, all the things he had known and proved on his own skin.  
*I know but he can, I feel it!* An odd wind blasts noisily between them. *I...A high palace...a man with the Jedi outfit... fighting...* The vision flew in their mind, Luke looked at it by Irene's mind. *Its' gone, I can't see further...*  
*Your premonition is enough. So be it.* Agreed Luke.  
Luke sighed and opened again his eyes. A smile ran across Irene's lips. Adam was in the middle of the room, waiting silently the decision that could change his life. The Master rose from his chair, with the regality of a king but the calm and the passivity of the Jedi. The mask he was wearing was only an useful tool to guarantee the respect the unforgotten Jedi of the past had had. Irene followed eager the ceremony. Luke placed the hands on Adam's shoulders.  
"I welcome you in the Great Academy of the Jedi, Adam Darklighter," Announced seriously the man, looking in his eyes.   
Adam looked down, as if he was assimilating the words, then up at him and at Irene and hugged the Master.  
"Now we are going to eat together ma'am!" yelled the child cheerful.  
"Call me Irene," the woman rose from the sofa and held Adam's hand. Luke followed them.  
"Are you coming with us Master?" asked the apprentice surprised but Luke shook his head.  
"No, and you have to remain too, Irene."   
"But she's promised to eat with me!" protested loudly the child. *He will have to learn the discipline!*  
*I know but by now don't worry about it!*  
"She can go out with you later, she have to help me," justified gently Luke.  
"Ok, but when you don't need her anymore, will she come?" asked surprisingly shy the boy.   
"Yes, of course," Luke caressed Adam's hair. They were out of the door. Irene saw immediately the mother of the little apprentice.  
"She's coming," announced the woman sarcastically and Luke nodded.  
"I'll talk to her," assured Luke, touching Irene's arm gently, "you take the child to the Inn in the sector 6/4b. Say to Irina who he is and come back to me," Instructed her then Luke, looking at the oncoming blue dressed figure.   
"It will be done, Master," Assured the apprentice, shifting aside not to encounter the woman.  
Luke met Adam's mother in the middle of the corridor.  
"So?" in her eyes a calm that surprised Luke. After the argument he had expected a cold acid woman, but she was instead calm, as if she knew what his child was going to be.  
"He's going to learn the way of the Jedi," The man was talking in a low voice to make the words less incisive for the woman.  
"When is he leaving?" the passivity of her voice was disarming.  
"Now. My apprentice will take him to the place where I have left the other little ones," Luke was surprised. The woman seemed not to be so maternal, or she was more maternal than the other mothers he had met?! Before she left the corridor the woman looked for a long moment in Luke's eyes, as if she was reading his soul, then spoke.   
"You knew is father...I know who you are; be the father he couldn't have been," with those intense words the woman ran away, disappearing behind the corner. Luke was shocked. Irene turned and touched his arm, bringing him back from the astound of his mind and the wind of feelings that was storming in his ears.  
"I'm taking Adam to the Inn, I'll come back in a short time," Informed the woman and Luke nodded. He was following the child way to the turbolift, while the shape of the dead friend was confounding his mind in a terrible joke, when a couple with a daughter and a son occupied his eyesight. Sighing the man paid attention to them.  
  
The Millennium Falcon was in its hangar; the light from the ceiling lit the ship, battered and scarred by the imperial lasers and the daring escapes it owner had done all around in the Galaxy. As usual the ship was under heavy reparations: the motivator of the hyperdrive had been again silent with a cascade of sparkles. Han Solo was poking about the liquefied cover panel. Chewbacca was trying to repair a control panel, bawling and hitting the metal with the hairy fist or the occasional tool he was holding. The Corellian called the Wookiee.  
"Chewie, the hydrospanner," The hand appeared from the hole in the floor, waiting for the tool. Chewie searched, moving the hands slowly and absently on the ground and picked up a tool; Han grasped the tool but then called again the Wookiee and this time not only the hand rose. With the face dirty for the dust and the lubricant, Han looked at the partner, frowning his forehead.  
"Then, hairy mountain, what's the matter with you?!" asked showing to the Wookiee the wrong tool he had given him. Chewie barked an excuse but Han seemed truly upset.  
"This is the seventh time you give me the wrong tool, if there's something wrong I want to know it," the Wookiee answered evasively. The Corellian rose a suspect eyebrow.  
"You can't play with me."   
The tall humanoid scratched his head then gave another evasive answer.  
"Ok, if you don't want to talk, I won't force you."   
The Wookiee looked at the ground and gave Han the tool he needed.  
"Thank you!" snorted the man coming back in the hole.   
"Three, two, one," when the third finger closed Chewbecca called him. He waited till Han's head appeared; the man lifted on the elbows and looked at him. Chewie invested Solo with a rain of sounds; the man nodded and shook his head, following with great attention the speech of the friend.  
"Then, let me understand: your nephew have come to do the test to enter the Jedi Academy, and you are worried, is this all?" Chewie nodded.  
"Cheer up, partner. He'll be a Jedi, and if not...he can come with his uncle on this beauty!" said patting proudly the metallic floor of the room. A familiar mumble came out from the metallic viscera of the ship.  
"Heard, she agrees..."   
  
The starship was in the open space. The stars all around it were glittering as usual. Leia took a look out of the port-hole. A zone in particular attracted her attention. The Senator couldn't believe what she was looking at: the main structure was complete! The skeleton of the planet, built around a big asteroid, moved for the occasion, was quivering like an ant-hill. Ships and men worked incessantly running from side to side carrying tools and materials while the big machines, acting like enormous spiders in the emptiness, were moving the bigger and heavier part, transporting them gently and placing the dark piece of durasteel from the cargo ships to the working stations. All was going on better than she could imagine.   
The ship decelerated and Leia saw the space gradually disappear in front of her: before she could say something the hatch of the Abregado1 opened and the ramp touched the ground smoothly. The two aliens came to her and, in the same instant, the guards rose like enormous towers in front of the thin Senator. Leia touched the arm of the Captain and the man shifted aside, letting her encounter the aliens.  
"A little cargo ship is waiting for us, Senator," announced the taller alien, bowing lightly. Leia followed the delegates of the society with the guards behind her.  
  
The main bay of the station was occupied by the Abregado1 and by a smaller ship, a light cargo ship. In the space the only noise was the sound of steps of the guards behind the Senator; operators were working on other ships, transporting the durasteel from the hods to the ships that took them to the yard.  
In the main room of the ship Leia found the president of the Building Society, at his sides two respectful young human beings, with a formal dark blue dress and two heavy bracelets around the wrists. Leia looked at them and the one on the left side rose his eyes. Leia felt something that made her shudder for a moment. The Force. The young fellow was a Force sensitive and the skilled Jedi knew she had to take the blond human with her, but how? The Abregadoes had a crazy terror of the Jedi and if they knew the young man was a Force sensitive, they would probably kill him instantly. They didn't know Leia was a trained Jedi and that made her respected by the aliens.   
The President rose and shook his hands to Leia, shifting her attention from her perceptions.  
"I'm glad to see you Senator."   
"And I'm glad to see you're doing and excellent work here."  
"Please sit with me, we're leaving for a trip around the building," Leia and the President, conceited in his pompous red long tunic, more for a king than for a president, took a lateral corridor. The guards and the two young men followed them. The room where the President led the guest had an enormous windows, there was no wall only the beautiful sight of an ocean of stars and the Capital in the middle.  
The Senator and the President of the society sat on comfortable armchairs, the guards stood behind the senator and at the door sides while the two young men were taking a tray with two glasses and a little long bottle. The man, the only human being who had never ruled on a group of Abregadoes, hit a little button on the right arm of his seat and the voice of the pilot echoed in the room.  
"We are finishing the departure procedures, we're leaving in forty seconds," reported efficiently the man from the other side of the ship.  
"Go on then."  
The engine of the cargo ship roared, screaming for the effort, and the Giver IV rolled and took off welcomed by the dark sparkling space.   
  
Leia was looking at the oncoming skeleton in the space in front of the ship. The mastodontic shape of durasteel was even bigger than Leia had imagined it could be. The Death Star was a little toy confronting it with that structure!  
The cargo ship moved silently between the cranes and the surface of the planet under construction. Leia was looking at her side, after the first look she had understood the structure was solid and now was trying to find a way to take the young man with her. The blond human was avoiding her eyes, he knew she was a Senator and he knew that he couldn't look at her, but the insistence of that eye made him rose his eyes and Leia smiled, she had attracted the attention of the young fellow. If he was a Force sensitive she could try to communicate with him with the Force, even if he probably didn't know the gift he had. Focusing her mind on the young man Leia called him. The boy iced and clenched his hands for the fear.  
*Ehi...* he was trying to escape but Leia had to speak with him. Now the woman could act like she was looking out of the window and talk to the young man at the same time.  
*Don't be afraid and tell me your name... *  
*You are the Senator... *  
*Yes, and I'm a Jedi and if you can listen to me you're a Force sensitive, a not trained Jedi. *  
*Me? A Jedi?!*  
*Yes, if you'll come with me I'll take you to the Master of the New Order...*  
*I can't leave this place. The President had bought me from a merchant a week ago, he wouldn't let me go...*  
*How much did he pay?* Leia was horrified by what the young man had told her: in the New Republic, in the peaceful and free new Galaxy there were still slaves sold and bought as stuffs.  
*I don't know...thank you for the interest but I'm a slave, my father was a slave, my family is this way... *  
*No...c'mon tell me your name... *  
*My name is Lukas... *  
*Okay Lukas...I've a plan, now do exactly what I say... *  
*I'll do... *  
*Come toward me and kiss me than run as fast as you can, don't worry for the guards, just run! *  
*You think... *  
*C'mon Lukas! *  
The Senator rose from her chair and went to her guards.  
"Change the guns in stunguns," whispered to the Captain.  
"But ma'am..." stammered the guard but Leia glared at him and the Captain silenced immediately.  
"Do as I say, now," ordered angrily.  
"Immediately, ma'am."   
The Senator sat down again while the guards were executing her order. When she was sure all the guns were now inoffensive, nodded looking at Lukas who inspired and ran to the Senator kissing her. In the perturbation that followed that moment, Leia seized a stungun and ran after Lukas, the guards were following her. Lukas threw himself in a little room, his head appeared in the doorway and the young man called Leia.  
"This way!" ordered the Senator, preceding the guards.  
Leia entered the room. Lukas was waiting for her in the shadow of a corner.  
"Now?" asked anxious the young man.   
"Shout as loud as you can and don't worry, when you get up you'll be on Could City," Surprisingly her voice convinced him. Lukas inspired as deep as he could.   
The guards stopped when Lukas's voice echoed in the corridor. Leia came out of the room.  
"Take his body," the guards ran into the room. Before her there was now the President.  
"What happened?" asked the man, as pale as a sheet.  
"Don't worry President. It's over," Reassured Leia in a secure voice.  
"I'm terrible sorry for this," said the man.  
"Let's come back to the Abregado1. I saw enough."  
"Oh...sure, ma'am. But what will you do with him?"  
"I don't know. He's...dead."  
"DEAD?!!"  
"Yes. He would be a spy of some terrorist and I want him to be examined on Could City..." the President was speechless. Nodding, the man hit a switch on a panel of the wall.  
"Lieutenant, invert the route, we're coming back."  
  
Out of the colossal door of the room the silence was absolute. Four beings had remained. Irene came out of the room and took a look around: the clouds were darkening and the first stars were now twinkling above them. When Irene turned to look at the woman before her the surprise opened her mouth. At the left side of the old gray-haired woman was a young Wookiee and Irene looked at him, she was sure she had met that face before. The woman bowed to her.  
"He's my nephew, Grrakkj." Introduced gently the woman, the young furry child bowed respectfully but Irene placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled.  
"Don't treat me like a queen, Grrakkj. My name is Irene, call me this way." The child nodded and spoke in his own language that Irene couldn't understand. Luke helped her.  
*Calm down Irene, you understand him perfectly... *  
*What?! *  
*Contact him in the Force, he can talk to you and you to him. *  
*I'll try...*  
*Don't... * Luke was going to repeat the unforgivable phrase but Irene answered for him.  
*There's no try, do or not...I'll do!*  
The woman inspired and took Grrakkj's hand. The old woman saluted the young Wookiee sighing.  
"Don't worry dear...I'll be here."  
Grrakkj groaned and followed Irene inside, under the look of the other young boy who was the last one to test.  
"Master, he is..." but Luke silenced her with a gesture of the hand.  
*Hi, Grrakkj.*  
**Hi Master.**  
*I can understand him?!*  
*I told you that... Are you Chewie's son?*  
**I'm his nephew, sir.**  
*You're proud of him...*  
**Yes......What are we waiting for, sir?**  
*Don't worry, calm down. Don't be excited or your perceptions won't be clear.*  
**Yes, sir...**  
Luke looked at the viewscreen in his hands for a moment then focused on Grrakkj's mind, while Irene was silently taking her place at his side.  
*What do you see?*  
**A starship.**  
**A cup.**  
**A tall tree.**  
**A man.**  
**Another cup.**  
**A blaster pistol.**  
**Another tree.**  
*Okay.* Luke replaced the viewscreen on the floor and picked up a picture. Shown it before the child for a second, he covered the piece of wood without looking at it.  
*What have you seen?*  
**It was a piece of wood, an old one. There was a picture on it. The picture of a swamp, a nice picture if I can say. A big contorted tree with enormous roots. The tree is near a foggy lake surrounded by other trees and behind one of the trees there is a strange animal. I haven't seen one like that before: it's like a long snake with two long white feathers at the side of the head and is of a brilliant green. The trees are too high and cover the sky. All is full of peace, who did that picture loved that place...Yoda. The Great Master of the Jedi, he had to love his home.**  
*Excellent...* Luke reinforced the barrier between him and the child, naturally talented in reading other's minds.  
*He's fantastic!*  
*Yes...we've found another apprentice. The tenth, we've enough apprentice for the moment. Outside there's another child.*  
*Have you felt something strange looking at that child?*  
*Have you felt it too?*  
*Yes of course! He's like a big...I don't know...a black hole...*  
*You're right. Leave Grrakkj with his grandma and take the child inside. After that exam you'll do your exercise and I'll take the apprentices to the Inn.*  
*Yes, Master.* Irene felt like a child at school with the old teacher before. But Luke wasn't old...The thought stopped suddenly, the shyness quitted what she was coming to. The woman opened her eyes and reached the door, a vertigo was making the world rotate like a crazy merry-go-round. Luke frowned the brow, worried, but didn't spoke.  
Irene called Grrakkj and the Wookiee held her hand. Out of the door the gray haired woman rose from her chair and reached his grandson.  
"Is he going to be a Jedi?"  
"Yes, don't worry. But I have to ask you if you can keep him here while the Master is testing that other boy..."  
"Of course I can, ma'am..."   
Grandmother and grandson sat down silently near the door. Irene looked at the boy: something was touching her deeply, leaving a cold trail.  
"Hi boy...I'm Irene, I'll take you to the Master," Said calm the woman looking at the boy. The tall man near him rose and did a military salute to Irene. The woman drew a step beck, perplexed.  
"He's Toman Hejr. He's the power and the skills of the Jedi. I wanted him at the Military Academy on Ord Mantel but the fate has chosen differently," Explained the tall dark haired man, with the grade glittering on the shoulders and on the chest.  
"Nice to meet you Toman..." then she looked at the man, "and you, what's your name?"  
"I'm General Lukian Hejr."  
"You've to wait here, till we finish, General..."  
"Okay." The man turned toward his son and placed his strong hands on the brawny shoulders of the boy, "Go, son, and do your best."  
"Yes, Sir," Answered immediately Toman, doing a serious military salute that impressed Irene. The woman did a gesture to Toman and the boy followed her inside.  
  
In the room a cold wind iced the atmosphere. Immediately Luke felt again the oddness that flew from the boy, who gazed at him, exploring his mind. The man felt extremely uncomfortable and Irene shuddered. Then, as it had come, the perception went away. Luke was perplexed, Irene's eyes were enormous for the astonishment and the sudden fear had filled her heart.  
"I'm Luke Skywalker," Said finally the Master, regaining the voice.  
"You're known on my planet, Sir," Answered politely the boy. He was changed, inexplicably mutated. Silently Luke watched the viewscreen for a moment and asked.  
"What do you see?"  
Toman closed his eyes for a moment and both the Jedi frowned a perplexed eyebrow. How could the boy know what he had to do to concentrate?!  
"A starship." Luke changed the picture and the boy immediately answered.  
"A tree."  
"A blaster pistol."  
"A cup."  
"Another tree."  
"Another starship."  
Luke switched off the screen and look at the boy. He had answered correctly and, strangely before Luke changed the pictures on the screen.  
*He can easily see the future ...*commented Irene. Luke agreed.  
*Yes, and...I don't know, you were right: in him there's something like a black hole. The Force is strong in him...but is dark, like the Dark Side is inside him. It's the first time a see something like this... *  
If a can say, we haven't to do the other test. *  
* You're right again -I think you'll be better than me in time!*  
*I hope not too soon...*  
*We're taking another way. Take the boy and the other apprentice to Irina. I'll do some research to find out something. I'm sorry but your training will wait until a more free moment.*  
*Don't worry Master. Being with you is however a training, a good one.*  
Irene opened her eyes and rose from the sofa.   
"Come with me Toman..."  
"Like you desire ma'am."  
Irene and the boy came out of the room, leaving Luke on his armchair, absorbed by his thoughts.  
  
Leia couldn't remember a med-droid so slow in checking his patient! 2-1B was checking Lukas, who was sleeping on a cot in the medical center of Could City. The young boy hadn't waken up yet and the woman was wondering if the power of the stungun had been too strong for him. The droid shook his head, in a common human expression of disagreement.  
"He's weak, undernourished, and has the first symptoms of the jukas-T." reported efficiently the droid eyeing the woman behind him. Leia startled.  
"The jukas-T? The disease of the swamps of GrantorV?!" asked incredulous the Senator, looking at the pale face of the boy.   
"You know it?" the droid seemed really surprised.  
"Yes...I've read about that muddy planet, but I thought it was uninhabited from ages..."  
"Evidently someone still lives there..." commented laconically 2-1B   
"Can you do something?" the worry of that question surprised even Leia. The med-droid kept silent for a long moment then the metallic voice echoed in the room.  
"Yes, it's difficult but he can survive. Fortunately you've taken him here now, when the virus is still concentrated on a little area of his body. You haven't to worry Ma'am, he'll be better soon."  
Leia would have embraced the droid if Lukas in that moment hadn't opened his eyes. The Senator went near him and caressed his forehead. The boy found the power to smile to her and Leia smiled back. Lukas opened his mouth to speak but Leia shook her head, silencing him.  
"Don't speak Lukas. Don't worry you'll be better soon." The blond young guy nodded and thanked his savior.  
"Th-thank you...ma'am." Whispered but a deep cough shook his weak body. Leia placed her left hand on his shoulder and with the other hand helped the boy drinking some water. The med-droid called her.  
"You have to leave him, now. He needs repose." The senator nodded and saluted Lukas.  
"Bye." Whispered on the doorway. Lukas rose a trembling hand and gave her back a salute.  
  
Irina was shouting desperately, the hall of her Inn, the Star of Qual, was under the massive attack of an alien race who was destroying everything. The people was composed by taller and shorter members, human and humanoid - two in particular, a male human and a male tall and huge humanoid with sharp greenish eyes and a long pony tail from the top of the head to the waist, were the untold leaders of the assorted group of invaders- come from the edge of an unknown galaxy.  
The woman was trying to save a carpet from the deadly juice fired from mortal blue glasses, but her attention had to shift from the carpet: the devastators were flying upon her from the lamps attached at the white ceiling. The air force hit her head with a shower of little shots.  
"Stop it!" ordered someone from the doorstep and the hostilities ended immediately. Irina smiled at her savior and ran to him. The group of little barbarians was regaining a normal position, all the foot were on the ground and the weapons on the floor.  
The dark figure came in and stopped before the children, looking at them gravely.   
"What did you want you do?" a guilty silence was the answer of the band.  
"Who have started all this?" the tall boy and the tall alien drew a step forward, emerging from the crowd.  
"I had to suppose this...Hujan and Dedalus. Only you can be the leaders of the gang...The Master won't be glad to listen to what you've done."  
The boys asked forgiveness, imploring Irene not to tell Luke what had happened and Irene agreed.  
"But remember that this is the last time I save you from a punishment." reminded them Irene with a serious voice and the boys nodded.  
Toman appeared near Irene and the Wookiee at his side. The group looked at them suspiciously. Grrakkj was a timid fourteen years old Wookiee, with the deep blue eyes of his known uncle and the eyes of the other young apprentice on him made him feel quite uneasy. Toman was his opposite; sixteen years old easy and bold, the boy had the polemic spirit typical of his age and didn't waste the occasion to show it, loudly and clearly.   
The brawny boy took a step forward and faced Dedalus and Hujan, as tall as him, and looked at them studying them deeply. Irene looked at the boy and saw something strange, tremendously strange. The eyes of the two young apprentices in front of Toman were dull and black. The woman felt a dark presence hanging over them. Grrakkj, who had felt it too, yelped looking up at Irene to find a comforting answer. Surprisingly, Irene hadn't the answer but Dakana had it.   
The girl reached Toman, paying attention not to look up at him and rose her thin blue hand with a fluid movement, the bracelets she was wearing tinkled echoing in the astounded silence; the boy stopped looking at the boys and looked at her, panting for the effort to bend her mind but the girl was strong enough to keep him away from her intellect. The hand in the air was trembling as if it was hardly keeping in it a colossal power, while a fine motes was whirling around the long clawed fingers condensing rapidly. The boy drew a step back terrified and hit Grrakkj who fell on the floor and Toman on him. The boy jumped up while Dakana was walking toward him, as inexorable as the flooding tide. What happened after was just the memory of a dream for all of the spectators. A blinding bolt hit Toman. The boy and Dakana fell unconscious on the floor in the same instant.   
On the doorstep appeared Luke, breathless and confused. The Master reached staggering Toman and knelt near him then checked his conditions. Irene held Dakana, the color of her skin was of a pale worrying blue and the woman placed her on a sofa. The other young apprentices divided into two groups: Dedalus, Grrakkj Derek and Liby were with Toman and the Master; Hujan Valene and Adam with Irene and Dakana. From both the crew rose a perplex and worried murmur. Luke held Toman in his arms and placed him on the sofa on the other wall of the devastated hall. Master and apprentice exchanged a worried eye. Neither of them knew what had happened: what both of them had were only feelings and sensations that were becoming paler and paler. The siren of an ambulance wept in the street in front of the Inn and six stretcher-bearers rushed inside, carrying the litters and the kits for the reanimation. Luke and Irene followed the litters out of the Inn, leaving the sad children with Irina, who reassured them with a glass of fruit juice and a tray of hot cookies.  
  
In front of the high couple of towers, linked by transparent passages supported by robust cages of durasteel, there was a large space for the landing and the taking off ambulances. People went and came in and out of the buildings, so high to make who looked at their top feel dizzy. The only sound in the square was the weeping siren of an oncoming ambulance.   
The ambulance was landing and Leia was coming out of the Med Center. Behind the window a blond head followed her way in the noisy street in front of the high towers. When the hatch silently opened, Luke rushed out of the ambulance: for a moment his first preoccupation was knowing the reason that had taken Leia to the Med Center twice in a week.   
"Leia!" shouted, waving the hands in the air. The Senator stopped and searched in the people around her his brother. She saw him and greeted him waving a hand in the air, smiling. Luke stopped before her.  
"What are you doing here?" asked worried the Jedi.   
"Nothing, I took a new apprentice who needed medical cures." Answered lightly the Senator, with a light shrug.  
"A new apprentice?"  
"Yes, I was coming to you to tell you about him. But you're here and I can tell all now. Then..." but Luke silenced her with a movement of the hand.  
"I'm sorry Sis." Said then taking a step back and looking at the door of the Med Center that was sliding for two coming stretchers followed by a Jedi. Leia noticed the group and followed Luke who was running toward the Med Center.  
"Ehi! Luke, wait for me!!" shouted Leia.  
  
The man rushed inside the hall of the Med Center, he hardly saw two meters in front of him, his heart was beating crazily for the preoccupation and the blood was obscuring his sight. Luke looked around searching for Irene and the apprentices, a worried expression had contracted his face. Leia appeared at his side and looked at him, waiting for an explanation.  
"Then? What's happening?!"  
"I don't know exactly, but if you wait till I have the information I need, then I'll explain to you all."  
"Okay..."  
Luke moved again. Leia sat on a sofa following her brother's speech with the nurse, a humanoid glittering silvered droid with a white coat.  
"Where are my apprentices?" his training was calming him down and his voice came out tranquil, surprisingly tranquil.   
"Give me their name, Sir." Asked politely the droid.  
"Toman Hejr, human, and Dakana Gtuerres, Jesh." The nurse inserted the names and after a long moment, long for the worried Master, the computer answered beeping.   
"Fourth floor. Reanimation department, Sir."  
"Thank you."   
The Jedi Master hit the call button of the turbolift repeatedly, with new trepidation. Leia saw him jump into the turbolift while the door was still half closed.  
"He'll never change..."sighed the woman shaking her head.  
  
Behind the pane of the window Luke was following the movements of the med droids around the two beds. It was like a stream that flew from a bed to the other and back, in a fluent and regular way. Irene was there too. Her eyes were closed, she was trying to help the apprentices with the Force. Her body was immobile, as it had been iced by a magic. Luke looked at his apprentice then called Irene. The apprentice didn't speak but Luke felt something like a smile of relief when Irene sensed his comforting presence. Luke focused on the young fragile beings in the white seas of their beds.   
*Toman...Dakana...don't worry, I'm here now. You'll be better very soon, I promise. I know that somewhere around here you're listening to me, so, try to answer. Come back to me, to your friend Luke, and to Irene. *  
*Toman, Dakana, I can feel you around here, I feel your confounded and afraid mind, what happened is the past now you're here, still here and I'll help you, only draw out a hand.* Luke could feel the young apprentices somewhere around him and he could feel Irene too. She was trying to help Toman and Dakana instilling her strength in them. They were so near that they could touch each other. Luke called again. The children were lost in the unconsciousness.  
Something finally moved. Luke called Dakana and her voice answered feeble. Luke called her again and again to guide the girl, when Toman's voice echoed full of anger in the inconsistent darkness around him.   
*I'm here too!*  
* Follow my voice Toman, we're coming back to consciousness.*  
  
"Doctor, the patients are opening their eyes." Announced K2, the nurse and 3-0B turned to eye Dakana and Toman. The eyelids trembled for a moment then the eyes opened. The apprentices were still half asleep and confused by the terrible experience. Irene and Luke opened their eyes in the same instant. Dakana's skin was turning again to a more normal blue and was now clearer the typical brownish regular mosaic of little spots on it. Toman turned to look at Luke who felt those eyes passing through him violently and the Master drew a step back, confounded for a terrible moment, the world around him was lightened by a bolt that blinded him. The viscid presence he had felt while Dakana and Toman were facing each other, touched him again then disappeared, but Luke knew, and he hated to be right about such a thing, it would come again. Irene rose from the chair, a new light in her eyes, and took a step toward the beds but stopped immediately, turning to smile victoriously to her Master, who nodded and smiled back.  
  



	3. great year3

3  
  
Luke had been a million times before the gray door of Mothma's office but never before he had asked what he had now come to ask. His training was avoiding a visible shiver of his tall figure but under the dark clothes, which made who saw him approaching full of a fear joined to a respect which came from the echoes of the high towers of Coruscant and the night of the times itself, Luke's heart was jumping like a crazy, uncontrollable beast. His throat was dry when the door moved aside and Luke finally saw the woman, ready to listen to him with her usual comforting smile. Noticing that the man wasn't coming in, Mothma rose regally from the seat and went to the door. Luke was there and did a light bow in front of the Chief of State who saluted him with a smile and a gentle move of her black head. Mothma took Luke's hand and made him enter the room, the door silently closed behind him. Silently as she had received him, Mothma took Luke to the seat in front of her writing desk.   
"Then, Luke, what is so amazing or terrifying to silence you?" asked then the woman, without letting out her surprise as the Chief of State she was.  
"I..."Luke was fed up of his condition and, after a deep breath, spoke, "I'm here to ask you the permission to use Yavin4 as my new Academy, I need a place, apart from the Galaxy, where teach the way of the Jedi to the New Order of the Jedi Knights." His voice was clear and extremely calm, so calm that the feeling Luke was now perceiving was of a deep tranquility like the river which flows until it reach the sea. Mothma thought for a moment and Luke in that moment avoided the sensation he was receiving from the woman, he didn't want to know the way he wanted a simple clear answer, nothing more. Mothma's choice wasn't so difficult: she had only to think about the lack of Jedi, and the need the people in the galaxy had of them and agree. Her head moved. This was the answer Luke wanted to have, he hadn't expect a long boring speech about how splendid his decision had been, or the right opposite. The man rose from the chair and thanked Mothma with a respectful bow, then the Master got out the room, silently as a shadow.  
  
While the turbolift was taking him to the ground floor, where he would take a Cloud Car to reach the Medical Center, Luke was hit by a sudden thought. His squadron, the Red Angels. He wouldn't be their leader anymore. The consciousness of the consequence of what he had learned to be, of the sacrifices he had done and seen, came little by little. First came the Surprise and the oddity for his new life. On his face a mask of surprised disgust. *No more the open space...the fly-suit,* thousands and thousands of memories with their own emotions rose from his memory, *the smell of the ion engine or the singing whistle of the R2 units that rolled around in the docking bay...the crying alarm of the emergencies ...* more he was thinking about it more he was surprised. Passed the surprise came the Sacrifice. * Why can't I leave these clothes and wear my military suit, my fly-suit, with the warm and known black gloves and the heavy but motherly helmet?* The most visible symbol of the Freedom, the first thing all the people think about if you tell them the word "Liberty", his wings: the future of the reckless farmer boy who challenged the Fortune a million times on Tatooine, in its untrustworthy canyons. But the Sacrifice had come and his question had a simple and unavoidable answer, as clear as the sky he was now looking at, from the street. At least he was a man now! The Responsibility flew over him gentle but urgent, the moment of his Good-bye was coming, acting like a little point at the horizon that began bigger and bigger till he could identify what he was looking at. The apprentices could wait for another while.   
  
The towers were now in front of him.   
People went and came, ground and air staff, pilots and officers. Who saw him saluted him with his military rank. Fortunately, but he knew he would have to come to terms with it soon or later, he wasn't meeting people he knew well and who he could miss. The hall of the first tower was a noisy circus of species and languages. He would miss that circus!   
"SL-76." Asked the turbolift and the door efficiently closed in front of him. He was the only person in the turbolift and was glad of it. *I'm leaving a part of me here today. I don't want and I want, I can't and I must. I knew I would do something like this and I didn't know. Ben knew it. He had seen it and I'm seeing it now. It's the same. Present Past Future all at once, Jedi see the bond between these meaningless and meaningful words.* While his thought was going on, his weak soul was acquiring a new consistence, a new reason of being. *I know I have to do this and I know I will be glad of being the Master of the New Order but...leaving all this!* His arms opened in a gesture that embraced the whole structure around him. As if he was trying to find comfort from it, the young Master touched the wall of the turbolift, but the coldness of it was refusing him, echoing of silence. *AH! Is it so? Well then...I'll leave this place with happiness in my heart, it's refusing me. Fool! I've been a damned fool thinking that someone here really needed me, they want and see only the Jedi, the symbol of the Justice. I'll be the best Jedi, the best one!*  
The office of his superior was at the end of the corridor. Luke ran till he met the closed door. He didn't try to avoid the impact, his body was punishing his mind.  
"Who's there?" a voice came from inside and Luke answered efficiently. "Come in Commander..." the door opened but Luke wasn't the same person had entered Mothma's office.  
"I leave the leadership of the Red Angels." Said simply, and while the words were flowing out from his mouth his mind assimilated the meaning of each one, the full stop they would made in his life.  
"How long?" asked incredulous the aged man behind the writing desk.  
"For ever." Two words and his life did a BOOM! so deafening to be heard from an edge to the opposite of the Galaxy. Luke didn't give the man the time to answer and exited the room.  
  
The Medical Center was another group of towers, Luke had arrived before the twins structures and his mind was a calm sea. What he had done had a meaning a reason so deep and important that his freedom or his happiness wouldn't matter now. In the hall there was none but the nurse at the reception. He knew the way and the nurse nodded letting he go on with his business. He was proud of himself, he had done a choice for the whole Galaxy, it had been an altruistic gesture. But why then, he was still so sad?  
Walking without thinking about the way, the wondering Master arrived at the room of his apprentices. The other young Padawans were there and Luke thought he would have probably felt their presence if he hadn't been so thoughtful and absorbed. Hujan reached him first, saluting him with a respectful bow. Luke saluted him back nodding. One by one the apprentices noticed and saluted their Master. Irene was there, she had felt his presence and was looking at him, an unspoken question in her eyes.   
"I'm glad to see you're finer now." Said looking at the two apprentices in the beds. Dakana smiled and Toman nodded.  
"I'm glad to see you've come to us...Master."  
"I'm here because I have to talk to you all." Irene was going to have her answer. The woman rose from the chair near Dakana's bed and stopped Hujan who was playing with the curtain of the window, evidently annoyed by the situation.   
"We're moving to another place. I asked Mon Mothma to use the Massassi Temple on Yavin4 as my new Academy." The children knew the planet by the legends about the Rebellion and were all happy. Irene was not so convinced. The apprentices were all young reckless fellows and on a planet like Yavin4 they would probably pass most of the time with the nurse droid. Luke noticed her expression and took her hand, leading the woman out of the room.  
"You aren't convinced, are you?" asked Luke, really preoccupied of what Irene thought about his decision.  
"I know you have chosen for the best of the Galaxy, but think about Yavin4 for a moment. You've been there, you know its dangers..."  
"But you'll be there with me, they're not so young."  
Irene closed her eyes for a moment, thinking. When she spoke again her eyes were still closed.  
"Okay, I'll help them preparing their stuff. When are we leaving?"  
"As soon as possible. I'm going to talk with the doctor."  
"I'll see you later then, at the Council Room..."  
"Yes, you'll do your meditations this evening." Luke was leaving but Irene stopped him, touching his arm.  
"Why don't you say to your apprentices not to call you Commander anymore?"  
"Y-yes..." Irene had surprised him with her direct question and Luke could only stammer an answer.  
He closed the door behind him and Irene followed his speech from the outside. The apprentices didn't ask anything, they diligently listened to him and nodded. For the first time he was all alone with his apprentices, without shields and Irene smiled looking at his gestures, measured and calm.  
  
"What?!" Leia's voice was an amazed yell. Han had jumped up, waving the hands in the air with a shocked expression. Chewbacca had had a more normal behavior, his brown head had simply nodded in agreement. The living room of Han and Leia's apartment had come to life after a long monologue, recited with the calmness of the Jedi and a pair of light blue eyes which had danced in the light of the outside and on the faces of the astonished bystanders. Luke had expected a reaction of that kind but Leia's eyes were so lost in the research of another meaning in what her crazy brother -and he could be none but a crazy person- had just said that Luke moved toward her and took her hands in his. Leia's eyes looked up at him eager, narrow and ready to cry.  
"Don't cry Leia." Whispered the man. Leia hung her head on his chest and his hands caressed her back. Silently Leia nodded. She understood: in the Force she could understand his brother's decision. She knew how difficult it had been for him leaving the leadership of one of the best squadrons of X-Wings, but he had chosen for the best of the Galaxy and she understood. Han was still stammering in front of the window, confused. He could understand all, the only thing he couldn't think about was the kid without his pilot outfit, no more ready to fly in some important missions...The Galaxy was losing one of the best pilots it had ever had. Luke left Leia and touched Han's shoulder.  
"Han, don't be so confused. The Galaxy needs me as a Jedi Master now..."  
"You're right kid, you know?" the Corellian smuggler embraced Luke and the two friends stood there for a long moment. Han now understood and Luke was contented to have his approval. Chewbacca rose from the sofa and hugged his friends. He had been left out from the argument and he wanted to make clear his position.  
  
Luke left the apartment four hours later. Han and Leia had wanted to know Irene's position about his decision and Leia had insisted that Luke remained there for lunch.  
In the corridor Luke met Manal Furana and Phil'ke. Furana was silently crying and Manal was looking at him with angry eyes. Phil'ke was comforting the woman. Luke breathed deeply and took a step toward the pilots.  
"Hi Commander...or have I to call you Master?" Furana's voice hissed full of indignation.  
"Furana...Manal...Phil'ke...I can't be your leader anymore. I'm a Jedi, I must follow my way."  
"Master, we know what it means for you but you have to understand that you've taken your decision without had told it us before. You're our leader, the best leader we've ever had. We've done more than one dangerous mission, but we were all glad to work with you. We relied on you, commander. We were ready to die to defend you because we knew you were ready to die to save us. You have saved my bottom from the Martial Court when I destroyed the prototype of the V-Interceptor to impress Medelle. You helped Rorje coming back in peace with his mother, and Vega wouldn't be with us if it wasn't for you...all of us have something to be thankful to you for."  
Manal's words hit Luke's heart like a saber but his mind calmed the dolor down. Luke's voice became a whisper.  
"I know but you won't make me change my mind. I'll do the best of the Galaxy. It will be my first duty, till I breath." The Master left the group, headed to the turbolift's columns.   
The door of the turbolift opened in front of him when Furana's voice echoed in the corridor.   
"None of us will help you from this moment on! You're dead for the Red Angels! DEAD!!"  
Luke couldn't avoid to shed a single painful tear that gleamed in the light like the last feather of a dying phoenix, but like the phoenix, Luke would revive soon from his ashes.  
  
That long day was finally ending. Luke had talked with the doctor and had finally met Lukas. His conditions were becoming better every minute and Dakana and Toman would leave the Medical Center in a short time. Irene had already prepared their suitcases and the other apprentices had done the same. Luke had given them their official outfit and they were now eating all together at the Medical Center, under the vigilant eye of Leia and Han.  
The stars were bright points in the endless darkness. Luke tried to find the lost peace looking at them, at their calm life but he could only feel his mind confused for what had happened during that day.   
Irene was in the middle of the Council Room, Luke near her. The apprentice was trying to rise an apple. Her trance was complete, her mind focused on the rounded form of the fruit, its color, what it was in the Force. Luke had left her trying all by herself, for the first time. In Irene's mind the apple rose trembling and Luke saw the red fruit starting to rise from the floor. It stopped a meter up from the gray floor of the room but Luke wasn't paying much attention at it. Irene felt his mind for a moment without the wall it usually had and a deep pain flew into her soul. The apple dropped immediately when Irene shifted her attention from the fruit to Luke's troubles. In him there was a storm of contrasting thoughts: his past his present his future her the Academy the apprentices Leia's children Han his friend the Red Angels Tatooine Ben Yoda his father. A chaotic sea of thoughts, where Luke could only keep afloat, hit by the sharp edges of the thought that were floating around him. The Master noticed her brief presence and reduced his problem to silence.  
"Where were we?" Asked trying to speak with his normal tone of voice.  
"The apple. I rose it..."reminded him Irene.  
"Yes, yes...oh..."Luke took a look around searching for something neither himself exactly knew.   
"Master I'm not a child, you want your time. Don't try to find something to keep me absorbed. Tell me simply that you need a while to think..." Said gently the woman, smiling tenderly. Again, Irene had talked for him: she had the extraordinary capacity to anticipate his actions and knew his own thoughts before him. Luke did nothing but a light nod and Irene rose from the floor. Silently the woman exited the room, leaving her Master*...Luke...*Something inside her didn't want to leave that room but the feet moved and the door closed behind her.  
*Yes...I really need a moment to make clear my mind. Irene's right. Okay...let's see what we can do.*  
Luke fell in a deep trance and slowly the thoughts came back to their corner, some in the light other in the shadow. He was alone now in the light of the sunset of his mind, but there was still pain and trouble that were winding in him. The iced blows that hit his face were like the winds on Hoth and Luke saw the space around him change, becoming the glacial desert of the unfriendly planet, far from Cloud City. The light was cold and the night was falling upon him. *What is this place??* His thought echoed in the valley coming back sarcastically to him. *I'm not on Hoth! This can't be Hoth!* For a moment Luke was taken by an uncontrollable fear of the land he saw. *Calm down Luke...*said to himself while the gelid wind was ruffling his hair. *You're a Jedi you've eliminated the irrepressible fear and the anger against the people and the things. I am at a loss for a moment, this is all. Just a moment.* But the moment passed and when Luke opened again his eyes on the world around him Hoth, or what he thought was Hoth, was still around him, gelid and lifeless as usual. *What's happening to me?* Something behind him moved and Luke turned then the surprise made him draw a step back from...himself?!  
*You can't be here! *Shouted pointing at his twin.   
*Are you sure? You're talking to me and I'm answering...*  
*You're...me...?*  
*Right observation pal...*  
*But if you're me...who am I?*  
*That's why I am here. You don't know who you are, really...I am you, your courage, the best of you but you have to accept the other part of you. Even Yoda or Ben or Anakin had their fears but they knew them and could control them. You can't go on this way. You are your fears...understand this and I'll be with you.*  
*Ben sent you, hadn't him?*  
*Yes...Ben and Yoda and your father, he was the most preoccupied of the three...*  
*My father...*  
*I'm going...* the spirit was disappearing and Luke tried to gasp it but more he felt he was losing the spirit more it became inconsistent. He stopped immediately when he realized why the spirit was disappearing and called him, but he was wrong again. He had convinced himself he had understood and the spirit went away. *Again!! I'm alone again!!* Again the fear, the loneliness was his worst fear and he couldn't stop it.  
*I am alone here!! Please Masters, Father help me...you're here, help me!! * Luke felt the tears ice on his cheeks and dried them immediately. No he hadn't to cry!! He wasn't a child! The man was again lonely surrounded by the snow and the cruel winds but something inside him was slowly calming down his loneliness.  
*I'm not alone.* It was his first conquest. *I'm not alone. Even on Hoth I wasn't alone...and now I'm not alone.* Now he was understanding his fear and could control it. More he thought about it more it appeared stupid and docile. Hoth around him slowly disappeared and a smile ran across his lips. The light of his mind, calm and peaceful now, lightened the space around and a sense of warmth filled his tired out body.  
His eyes looked around in the darkness of the room. He had been away for more that five hours and he thought he was the only person on the floor, so he picked up his cloak and went to the door. His senses were working at full speed now and he had the perception of a person in the corridor.   
The door shifted aside silently and Luke smiled finding Irene curled up on a chair, covered by the dark cloak. When he drew a step inside the corridor, the woman woke up immediately and reached him.  
"I wasn't sleeping Master..." said immediately Irene and Luke smiled, nodding.   
"You could go...it wasn't necessary to wait for me."  
"Don't worry, I've done other exercise during this time. I rose the seats one by one, fortunately you didn't heard the noise that I made when I rose four seats and they fell on the floor. I hoped you didn't..."  
"And I didn't of course. Don't worry about it."  
"You've found the peace, haven't you?"  
"Is it so clear?"  
"You're different from before..."  
"I'm glad of it..."   
They had reached the turbolift and Irene pressed the call button without looking at it. Her eyes were for Luke, only for him and his eyes were still looking at her while the door of the turbolift was closing after they had entered.  



	4. Great year4

4  
Leaving Could City was more difficult than he could think. Luke had started the preparation for the journey four hours before and now he had still more than a half of the stuff still to place. Leia Han and Chewie had arrived at the docking bay where the Star Horse was docked and were helping him and Irene embarking their stuff: Luke was inside the hold with Han and a sad Chewie, who yelped at every new container. Leia and Irene and Yana, Leia's personal secretary, were helping the children finding a comfortable seat in the main space of the plate-shaped starship. A smile ran across Leia's lips when she saw the cure the apprentices had placing their dark cloak behind them. Irene instead seemed to be born with her outfit for the fluidity and the liberty of her movements even if she was wearing the heavy Jedi cloak. Lando was with the women, talking with the older children. He had seen Yavin4 during an explorative mission and he had hated the planet at first sight, too much plants and trees! The Red Angels weren't there but Luke's eyes were still taking a look from time to time at the street, he wanted to salute them...  
"Ehi kid! What's inside this container! Rocks?" Han's shout took him back to the hold of the ship.  
"Eh? Oh...only the necessary tools to construct a lightsaber..." answered the young man after a look at the color of the strips on the side of the container.  
"You need so much things to those little cylinders?" asked surprised the man, the head barely visible behind the gray container.  
"Yes and now, please...put it there, in that corner, and fasten it tight, I don't want to have to pick up its contents all around after we arrive..."  
"At your service, Master!" answered sarcastically the Corellian.  
"Luke!" called Irene from the upper part of the ship and the man exited the hold and climbed up the boarding ramp.  
"Yes?" asked when he met the women in the corridor.  
"We're done up here. Do you need any help down there?"  
"No...we can hold it..." his eyes were of a strange tonality of blue, they were like a storming sky and Leia and Irene knew the reason of it. Before he came back to the hold, Luke took another not too hoping look at the street. Leia touched his arm and reassured him.  
"Don't worry Luke, they'll arrive..." whispered softly and Luke sighed, not too convinced.  
"I hope so." Whispered leaving his sister.  
With his great surprise Han and Chewie had placed all the containers in the hold and he hadn't to do anything.  
"We've finished..." announced Han but immediately something clouded the eyes of the smuggler. Chewie yelped his sadness. They had finished and now Luke could go. But they didn't want to let him go, not so soon!  
Luke felt their emotions and sighed, then reached his friends. Han was avoiding his eyes, looking down not to make him look in them, but he couldn't hide something to a Jedi and Luke tried to comfort him. He grabbed his shoulder and talked slowly and softly, smiling.  
"Don't do that, Han. I won't be so far..."  
"I know this but..." there was a moment of painful silence then Han -he didn't want to leave Luke with a sad memory of him- spoke with his usual arrogance "Who will I call kid?! That hirsute brown mountain is not so kid-like!" Luke smiled at the try of his friend to paint in less dramatic colors the situation and patted on his shoulders. The time had come and he had to leave.   
Irene had arrived with Leia and Yana and now they were waiting the men and Chewie, the last one who left the hold of the ship. When the shutter closed, came the difficult time of the good-byes.   
"Be careful Luke...Yavin4 is a dangerous planet." Recommended the woman, ready to cry. Luke caressed her face and made her rise her eyes to look at him.  
"You haven't to worry Leia, I'll be fine on Yavin4...okay? Now c'mon do me a smile, I don't want to leave you crying..." the woman smiled but immediately she hugged Luke for a long time, she didn't want to let him go, but she knew she had to and her arms opened, letting Luke salute Han and Chewie.  
"Well kid...What can I say? Go and do your best..." said Han, patting on his shoulder with his usually captivating smile, and Luke nodded.  
"I'll do..." the silence came between them They didn't want to cry -even Luke was hardly swallowing the tears- and the men hugged no to say something else. That hug would be enough. Chewie hugged the two men and Luke spat fur of brown hair, laughing.  
"Chewie you're the only one who'll leave me a tangible memory!"   
The Wookiee tried to beg the pardon of his friend but Luke patted on his shoulder.  
"Don't worry! I was joking!"  
Lando was behind the tall Wookiee, clearly uneasy. Luke looked at him and the man tried to smile. The Jedi reached him and touched his shoulder.  
"Ehi, I count on you buddy...make Leia do exactly as the doctor will order her, okay? Han loves her too much to hold it rightly, help him."  
The Baron nodded and Luke smiled.  
"I'll miss you Luke!" said then Lando embracing him. Irene met Luke's eyes and nodded lightly. The man moved backward.  
The old friends probably wanted to go on talking but Luke and Irene had to leave and they saluted for the last time their friends. Irene went on waving her hand in the air even while the hatch of the ship was closing.  
Irene then reached Luke, who had already started the taking off procedures, the engines were starting to scream, taking her seat in the co-pilot seat.  
"Here Star Horse, can you here me Cloud City?" asked Luke.  
"Here Could City, yes we're hearing you." Answered an officer. Luke listened to him looking outside.  
"We're leaving, Could City." Announced distractedly.   
"Yes you're clear to take off. Good-bye Star Horse. Cloud City out." Luke looked at Irene who was finishing to prepare the repulsion engine; the woman nodded and Luke hit the last switch. The ship trembled for a moment then took off.  
Irene took a look down where Leia was still saluting her and smiled.  
"I'll miss them..." said then the woman, eyeing the control panel of the engines.  
"I'll miss them too..." added Luke, sighing. *And I'll miss the Red Angels...*   
  
Bespin was becoming a glowing ball in the darkness when someone called him on a military channel.  
"Red four standing by, Boss. We're on your wings until you reach your destination."  
"Here Luke...thank you Rorje but..."  
"Boss keep quiet for one time!" Furana's accent was unmistakable!  
"Red Seven standing by, we'll come with you Luke and you'll have to shoot us down if you want us to stop." Helen's voice had never been more convinced.   
"Red two standing by. And it won't be so easy Luk'e!" added Phil'ke with his characteristic way in pronouncing the Master's name.   
"Okay, you won. Prepare for the jump at light-speed...Red Angels!" Irene saw her Master happy again in that painful day and smiled with him. The woman dialed the co-ordinates for Yavin4 and nodded.  
"We can go Luke."   
"Count down to light-speed...five...four...three...two...one...ignition!" the ships disappeared silently one by one.   
  
The cockpit was becoming too little for him. Irene's movements were fluid and her hands touched him too frequently. He still didn't know what's happening between them, he only knew he couldn't stay with her anymore. The journey to Yavin4 was long and Luke felt the need to see and check his apprentices.   
"I'm seeing how the apprentices are, okay?" said rising from the pilot seat.  
Irene nodded, she was absorbed by the result of a check on the hyperdrive system.   
Luke reached the corridor near the room where the apprentices were but something wasn't right, all was too silence. Preoccupied for the condition of the little guys, he accelerated and rushed into the room, holding his breath. The children were under his responsibility and he wouldn't have had the courage to look at his own face if something had happened to them. Eleven pairs of surprised eyes looked at him.  
"Something wrong Master?" asked Lukas. Luke shook his head, a smile ran across his lips. They were all safe, they were only...silent.  
"No, nothing. How are you?"  
"Fine thanks. Your sister saved my life..." Luke nodded. He took a look around to check the others. Lukas rose from his seat and reached the Master.  
"Don't worry Master. We are all fine here." Reassured the young blond fellow with a bold smile.  
"I was forgetting you're a skilled mind reader...I was really preoccupied. I thought children shout and yell and run around..."  
"Most of them had passed that phase. The others...well...you've apprentices of ten years old, they are silent and shy, and they're not babies...don't expect little savages! They are dangerous only when they have a leader and, for what I've heard, the leaders have been deposed after a...problem with that beautiful being that is in the cockpit... " something in the last phrase made Luke felt somehow strange, a piercing impression of uneasiness passed trough him, and a shadow passed on his face but he didn't want to have to give an explanation of it -even because he didn't have one- and avoided a probably question talking.   
"You know well the argument..."  
"I'm the oldest of twelve sons...I have done some experience..."   
"I'll count on you then!" said patting on his shoulder, forcing himself to smile.  
"I promise sir never to disappoint." Lukas did a military salute and Luke answered promptly. He didn't want to come back to the cockpit and sat down near Toman, Lukas followed him.  
"Ehi, Toman, how are you?" asked moving forward to get nearer him. Toman looked at him before he answered and for a moment his reddish-brown eyes became of an ardent red. As rapid as they had turned blue, Toman's eyes turned again, regaining their color. His mouth moved but Luke was focused on his eyes, perplexed. He could read his mind, it was simple but what he found surprised him. *It's impossible! He can't be able to build up a wall between his mind and another Jedi!* Toman had followed his thought because his eyes narrowed and he smiled, conceited for his surprise.   
Lukas wasn't following them, he was speaking to Valene, trying to impress the gentle girl with an absurd story of monsters. Valene was sixteen years old but Lukas was convinced he could fascinate her like a baby.   
"This monster comes close to me, ready to eat me for lunch..."   
The girl silenced him with a sharp comment. "It's a pity it hadn't done it!" and got up reaching Derek, her twin brother, on the other side of the room.   
Dakana was having a wonderful speech with Grrakkj. They talked using the Force. But something suddenly kidnapped the blue skinned girl. Grrakkj tried to call her but an adult voice calmed him.  
*Don't worry Grrakkj, keep quiet and help me...*  
**Who are you?**  
*My name is...*the voice stopped suddenly. Grrakkj saw Dakana get up and reach Toman. Luke was near him, still confused, but something inside him cleared his mind with the power of a thunder. The man looked up at Dakana, in her eyes Luke saw a strange light. The boy near Luke rose and faced Dakana. Silently they looked into each other's eyes. The atmosphere was full of electricity.  
Dakana rose her right hand and pointed at Toman who drew a step back, smiling evilly. Luke focused on Toman's mind but the barrier pushed him back. Starting a little, the Master tried again and again till he made a hole in the wall and entered. A storm was raging and Luke felt a cold wind try to reject his presence.  
*I won't go away! Who are you??* The wind's voice answered him.   
*You can't hide yourself forever!* This time something in the rain moved toward him. Luke clenched his hands and looked at the figure that was advancing.  
Suddenly a third presence occupied Toman's mind. For a moment Luke saw Dakana fall unconscious on the metallic floor and Grrakkj call Irene, while the other apprentices were murmuring. Hujan was shaking his head, the pony tail was quivering with fear.  
The third presence was a thin woman with a kind of elaborated crown on the head and a strange red dress Luke had never seen before. The woman looked at him with a smile. She resembled Leia, they had the same way of half closing the eyes when they smiled.   
*This mind is becoming too little for all of us...*commented the dark figure before Luke and the woman.  
*Why don't you go away then?!*  
*I've come first...queen...*  
...the woman was a queen...  
Luke tried to find something, anything, that could link him to the woman, because he felt she had to have a place in his mind...in his past.  
*But you haven't the right for being here...leave the boy! Leave this time!*  
*Are you trying again to push me away? Have I to remind you what happened the last time we met? This boy and the girl you have used barely survived...*  
*This time it won't happen...I...*the woman silenced and looked at Luke. The man would have drawn a step back but he drew a step forward. Now he was near the woman. *We'll destroy you...*  
*You can't destroy a being that is one with the Force...*  
*You're one with the Dark Side...* specified the woman and the dark figure smiled, Luke had seen that smile two minutes before on Toman's face...it was terrifying.   
*It's however the Force...There no place where you can destroy me...no one place!* the dark figure laughed and his voice echoed as if they were in a valley surrounded by high mountains.  
*We'll do it here then...*  
*Your Master hadn't taught you well...I don't want to repeat myself queen...*  
*We'll see it...* a moment before her hand was empty and was clenching the air, the moment after the woman was menacing the dark hooded figure grabbing a long pole with a sharp blade on each end.  
The dark figure drew a step back and talked.  
*I'm tired...We'll meet again queen...don't worry...* The presence disappeared, taking with him the rain. The woman made the pole disappear and she was closing her eyes, Luke stopped her before she disappeared.   
*I'll go now but I'll come back, don't worry...Luke...* The thin woman pronounced his name so tenderly that Luke tried to make her stay but she was becoming as inconsistent as the fog and disappeared.  
After she had disappeared, a blinding bolt shook violently the air and the land around and below him and all became dull and foggy. Luke felt his body like a jelly, something was rocking him, as if he had been in a deep pool of cold water...as if he had been made of water...   
  
"Master...Oh Thank the Maker you're alive!" Irene's voice pierced through his ears and Luke silenced her with an uncontrolled move of distress of his pale and cold hand. His eyes were two narrow lines in the middle of a white surface. The blond hair was an unformed amount of deep yellow wires. He tried to open his eyes but the light hit them as if it had been a blade and Luke closed them immediately.   
"Where's Toman? Where's Dakana? We're we?" asked painfully moving blindly in what seemed to be a kind of bed. Something warm and relaxing was covering his shuddering body. Irene moved toward him -Luke didn't know if the person near him was still Irene but an unmistakable perfume flew over him- and he became red till the root of the hair. Irene notified the sudden change of color of his distressed face and checked the conditions of the semiconscious Master, her hands were dancing frantically upon Luke. When he finally decided that he must open his eyes the piercing light was attenuated by a gentle shadow. Before him there was Irene, smiling and relieved. Luke tried to smile and Irene touched his right hand, abandoned on the side of the covered bed, out of the warm wool cover.  
"You've made us really preoccupied..." her voice was a warm caress for his ears now.   
"Where are Dakana and Toman?" asked with a preoccupied voice Luke, trying to see behind Irene.  
"Don't worry, Luke, they are here too. " after a pause Irene talked again looking out of the narrow window before her, "This Temple is enormous but I found out that we can use, by now it's obvious, only four room...but now you have to sleep, don't think about your apprentices, they are sleeping now. Lukas and I can hold it easily..." smiling, Irene picked up his cold hand and recovered it under the cover. Luke nodded lightly and Irene caressed his forehead for a moment.   
His eyes were closing, slowly but inexorably closing and Luke sighed deeply before he fell asleep. He couldn't remember what had happened after the bolt and the strange sensation of water nor what had iced him so much to make him shudder, though there had to be something...Luke couldn't sleep. His mind was working frenetically trying to find the answer. He had to remember something. The woman with the strange but beautiful dress and the smile similar to Leia's, the hooded man. They had to be somewhere in the Force and he was going to find them, or at least one of them...Breathing calmly, to make clear his mind, the Master visualize a warm and known place. Slowly a forest grew up around him. Dagobah. It was the most comfortable place he could think about for a meditation.   
The Force was flowing in him, through him giving him expanded perceptions and clearer vision of the present and sometimes the future. This time however Luke wasn't interested in future or present, he wanted to see the past. A past he had lost or hidden in a corner of his brain and he wanted it to link with the event he had been involved no more than a some hours before, for what he could remember. The woman was the easier way to follow, he hadn't seen nothing of the other presence but a tall figure dressed in the Sith Lord outfit -he thought so because of the hood and the length of the clothes and especially for the extraordinary resemblance with Palpatine's cloak- his voice didn't sound known to him while the woman's voice had a familiar timbre. The dress. He had seen it somewhere...didn't he? Before him emerged a little greenish figure. Luke smiled hopefully seeing his old Jedi Master.  
"Following the right path you are..." commented the little being looking up at the Jedi.  
"I hope so Master Yoda...but why I know the woman I saw?" he needed a hint, he desperately needed one!  
"Is not this a question I can satisfy..." was the laconic answer he received.  
"You can't or you don't want?!" asked a little upset Luke looking down at the Master standing on the tiptoes.  
"Young you are but find you can the way..." again the calm voice came to drive him crazy!   
"Give me a trace!" begged Luke kneeling before Yoda but the Master was unmovable.   
"Found you the trace...the woman the trace is...what follows you have to want to discover..."  
"I had known before the woman with the red dress but...I don't know, I remembered her taller and bigger...Is it possible?"  
"Yes it is possible...go on..." it was like the memories were playing with him a distressing hide-and-seek. Luke felt all the weight of the effort he had done to discover what looked like only the door of a hidden palace. Yoda looked at him and bent the head on the left side.  
"Must repose you, Luke, go on later you can." Slowly Dagobah disappeared and Luke fell really asleep this time, too confused to resist the weariness.  
  
  



	5. Great year 5

4  
Leaving Could City was more difficult than he could think. Luke had started the preparation for the journey four hours before and now he had still more than a half of the stuff still to place. Leia Han and Chewie had arrived at the docking bay where the Star Horse was docked and were helping him and Irene embarking their stuff: Luke was inside the hold with Han and a sad Chewie, who yelped at every new container. Leia and Irene and Yana, Leia's personal secretary, were helping the children finding a comfortable seat in the main space of the plate-shaped starship. A smile ran across Leia's lips when she saw the cure the apprentices had placing their dark cloak behind them. Irene instead seemed to be born with her outfit for the fluidity and the liberty of her movements even if she was wearing the heavy Jedi cloak. Lando was with the women, talking with the older children. He had seen Yavin4 during an explorative mission and he had hated the planet at first sight, too much plants and trees! The Red Angels weren't there but Luke's eyes were still taking a look from time to time at the street, he wanted to salute them...  
"Ehi kid! What's inside this container! Rocks?" Han's shout took him back to the hold of the ship.  
"Eh? Oh...only the necessary tools to construct a lightsaber..." answered the young man after a look at the color of the strips on the side of the container.  
"You need so much things to those little cylinders?" asked surprised the man, the head barely visible behind the gray container.  
"Yes and now, please...put it there, in that corner, and fasten it tight, I don't want to have to pick up its contents all around after we arrive..."  
"At your service, Master!" answered sarcastically the Corellian.  
"Luke!" called Irene from the upper part of the ship and the man exited the hold and climbed up the boarding ramp.  
"Yes?" asked when he met the women in the corridor.  
"We're done up here. Do you need any help down there?"  
"No...we can hold it..." his eyes were of a strange tonality of blue, they were like a storming sky and Leia and Irene knew the reason of it. Before he came back to the hold, Luke took another not too hoping look at the street. Leia touched his arm and reassured him.  
"Don't worry Luke, they'll arrive..." whispered softly and Luke sighed, not too convinced.  
"I hope so." Whispered leaving his sister.  
With his great surprise Han and Chewie had placed all the containers in the hold and he hadn't to do anything.  
"We've finished..." announced Han but immediately something clouded the eyes of the smuggler. Chewie yelped his sadness. They had finished and now Luke could go. But they didn't want to let him go, not so soon!  
Luke felt their emotions and sighed, then reached his friends. Han was avoiding his eyes, looking down not to make him look in them, but he couldn't hide something to a Jedi and Luke tried to comfort him. He grabbed his shoulder and talked slowly and softly, smiling.  
"Don't do that, Han. I won't be so far..."  
"I know this but..." there was a moment of painful silence then Han -he didn't want to leave Luke with a sad memory of him- spoke with his usual arrogance "Who will I call kid?! That hirsute brown mountain is not so kid-like!" Luke smiled at the try of his friend to paint in less dramatic colors the situation and patted on his shoulders. The time had come and he had to leave.   
Irene had arrived with Leia and Yana and now they were waiting the men and Chewie, the last one who left the hold of the ship. When the shutter closed, came the difficult time of the good-byes.   
"Be careful Luke...Yavin4 is a dangerous planet." Recommended the woman, ready to cry. Luke caressed her face and made her rise her eyes to look at him.  
"You haven't to worry Leia, I'll be fine on Yavin4...okay? Now c'mon do me a smile, I don't want to leave you crying..." the woman smiled but immediately she hugged Luke for a long time, she didn't want to let him go, but she knew she had to and her arms opened, letting Luke salute Han and Chewie.  
"Well kid...What can I say? Go and do your best..." said Han, patting on his shoulder with his usually captivating smile, and Luke nodded.  
"I'll do..." the silence came between them They didn't want to cry -even Luke was hardly swallowing the tears- and the men hugged no to say something else. That hug would be enough. Chewie hugged the two men and Luke spat fur of brown hair, laughing.  
"Chewie you're the only one who'll leave me a tangible memory!"   
The Wookiee tried to beg the pardon of his friend but Luke patted on his shoulder.  
"Don't worry! I was joking!"  
Lando was behind the tall Wookiee, clearly uneasy. Luke looked at him and the man tried to smile. The Jedi reached him and touched his shoulder.  
"Ehi, I count on you buddy...make Leia do exactly as the doctor will order her, okay? Han loves her too much to hold it rightly, help him."  
The Baron nodded and Luke smiled.  
"I'll miss you Luke!" said then Lando embracing him. Irene met Luke's eyes and nodded lightly. The man moved backward.  
The old friends probably wanted to go on talking but Luke and Irene had to leave and they saluted for the last time their friends. Irene went on waving her hand in the air even while the hatch of the ship was closing.  
Irene then reached Luke, who had already started the taking off procedures, the engines were starting to scream, taking her seat in the co-pilot seat.  
"Here Star Horse, can you here me Cloud City?" asked Luke.  
"Here Could City, yes we're hearing you." Answered an officer. Luke listened to him looking outside.  
"We're leaving, Could City." Announced distractedly.   
"Yes you're clear to take off. Good-bye Star Horse. Cloud City out." Luke looked at Irene who was finishing to prepare the repulsion engine; the woman nodded and Luke hit the last switch. The ship trembled for a moment then took off.  
Irene took a look down where Leia was still saluting her and smiled.  
"I'll miss them..." said then the woman, eyeing the control panel of the engines.  
"I'll miss them too..." added Luke, sighing. *And I'll miss the Red Angels...*   
  
Bespin was becoming a glowing ball in the darkness when someone called him on a military channel.  
"Red four standing by, Boss. We're on your wings until you reach your destination."  
"Here Luke...thank you Rorje but..."  
"Boss keep quiet for one time!" Furana's accent was unmistakable!  
"Red Seven standing by, we'll come with you Luke and you'll have to shoot us down if you want us to stop." Helen's voice had never been more convinced.   
"Red two standing by. And it won't be so easy Luk'e!" added Phil'ke with his characteristic way in pronouncing the Master's name.   
"Okay, you won. Prepare for the jump at light-speed...Red Angels!" Irene saw her Master happy again in that painful day and smiled with him. The woman dialed the co-ordinates for Yavin4 and nodded.  
"We can go Luke."   
"Count down to light-speed...five...four...three...two...one...ignition!" the ships disappeared silently one by one.   
  
The cockpit was becoming too little for him. Irene's movements were fluid and her hands touched him too frequently. He still didn't know what's happening between them, he only knew he couldn't stay with her anymore. The journey to Yavin4 was long and Luke felt the need to see and check his apprentices.   
"I'm seeing how the apprentices are, okay?" said rising from the pilot seat.  
Irene nodded, she was absorbed by the result of a check on the hyperdrive system.   
Luke reached the corridor near the room where the apprentices were but something wasn't right, all was too silence. Preoccupied for the condition of the little guys, he accelerated and rushed into the room, holding his breath. The children were under his responsibility and he wouldn't have had the courage to look at his own face if something had happened to them. Eleven pairs of surprised eyes looked at him.  
"Something wrong Master?" asked Lukas. Luke shook his head, a smile ran across his lips. They were all safe, they were only...silent.  
"No, nothing. How are you?"  
"Fine thanks. Your sister saved my life..." Luke nodded. He took a look around to check the others. Lukas rose from his seat and reached the Master.  
"Don't worry Master. We are all fine here." Reassured the young blond fellow with a bold smile.  
"I was forgetting you're a skilled mind reader...I was really preoccupied. I thought children shout and yell and run around..."  
"Most of them had passed that phase. The others...well...you've apprentices of ten years old, they are silent and shy, and they're not babies...don't expect little savages! They are dangerous only when they have a leader and, for what I've heard, the leaders have been deposed after a...problem with that beautiful being that is in the cockpit... " something in the last phrase made Luke felt somehow strange, a piercing impression of uneasiness passed trough him, and a shadow passed on his face but he didn't want to have to give an explanation of it -even because he didn't have one- and avoided a probably question talking.   
"You know well the argument..."  
"I'm the oldest of twelve sons...I have done some experience..."   
"I'll count on you then!" said patting on his shoulder, forcing himself to smile.  
"I promise sir never to disappoint." Lukas did a military salute and Luke answered promptly. He didn't want to come back to the cockpit and sat down near Toman, Lukas followed him.  
"Ehi, Toman, how are you?" asked moving forward to get nearer him. Toman looked at him before he answered and for a moment his reddish-brown eyes became of an ardent red. As rapid as they had turned blue, Toman's eyes turned again, regaining their color. His mouth moved but Luke was focused on his eyes, perplexed. He could read his mind, it was simple but what he found surprised him. *It's impossible! He can't be able to build up a wall between his mind and another Jedi!* Toman had followed his thought because his eyes narrowed and he smiled, conceited for his surprise.   
Lukas wasn't following them, he was speaking to Valene, trying to impress the gentle girl with an absurd story of monsters. Valene was sixteen years old but Lukas was convinced he could fascinate her like a baby.   
"This monster comes close to me, ready to eat me for lunch..."   
The girl silenced him with a sharp comment. "It's a pity it hadn't done it!" and got up reaching Derek, her twin brother, on the other side of the room.   
Dakana was having a wonderful speech with Grrakkj. They talked using the Force. But something suddenly kidnapped the blue skinned girl. Grrakkj tried to call her but an adult voice calmed him.  
*Don't worry Grrakkj, keep quiet and help me...*  
**Who are you?**  
*My name is...*the voice stopped suddenly. Grrakkj saw Dakana get up and reach Toman. Luke was near him, still confused, but something inside him cleared his mind with the power of a thunder. The man looked up at Dakana, in her eyes Luke saw a strange light. The boy near Luke rose and faced Dakana. Silently they looked into each other's eyes. The atmosphere was full of electricity.  
Dakana rose her right hand and pointed at Toman who drew a step back, smiling evilly. Luke focused on Toman's mind but the barrier pushed him back. Starting a little, the Master tried again and again till he made a hole in the wall and entered. A storm was raging and Luke felt a cold wind try to reject his presence.  
*I won't go away! Who are you??* The wind's voice answered him.   
*You can't hide yourself forever!* This time something in the rain moved toward him. Luke clenched his hands and looked at the figure that was advancing.  
Suddenly a third presence occupied Toman's mind. For a moment Luke saw Dakana fall unconscious on the metallic floor and Grrakkj call Irene, while the other apprentices were murmuring. Hujan was shaking his head, the pony tail was quivering with fear.  
The third presence was a thin woman with a kind of elaborated crown on the head and a strange red dress Luke had never seen before. The woman looked at him with a smile. She resembled Leia, they had the same way of half closing the eyes when they smiled.   
*This mind is becoming too little for all of us...*commented the dark figure before Luke and the woman.  
*Why don't you go away then?!*  
*I've come first...queen...*  
...the woman was a queen...  
Luke tried to find something, anything, that could link him to the woman, because he felt she had to have a place in his mind...in his past.  
*But you haven't the right for being here...leave the boy! Leave this time!*  
*Are you trying again to push me away? Have I to remind you what happened the last time we met? This boy and the girl you have used barely survived...*  
*This time it won't happen...I...*the woman silenced and looked at Luke. The man would have drawn a step back but he drew a step forward. Now he was near the woman. *We'll destroy you...*  
*You can't destroy a being that is one with the Force...*  
*You're one with the Dark Side...* specified the woman and the dark figure smiled, Luke had seen that smile two minutes before on Toman's face...it was terrifying.   
*It's however the Force...There no place where you can destroy me...no one place!* the dark figure laughed and his voice echoed as if they were in a valley surrounded by high mountains.  
*We'll do it here then...*  
*Your Master hadn't taught you well...I don't want to repeat myself queen...*  
*We'll see it...* a moment before her hand was empty and was clenching the air, the moment after the woman was menacing the dark hooded figure grabbing a long pole with a sharp blade on each end.  
The dark figure drew a step back and talked.  
*I'm tired...We'll meet again queen...don't worry...* The presence disappeared, taking with him the rain. The woman made the pole disappear and she was closing her eyes, Luke stopped her before she disappeared.   
*I'll go now but I'll come back, don't worry...Luke...* The thin woman pronounced his name so tenderly that Luke tried to make her stay but she was becoming as inconsistent as the fog and disappeared.  
After she had disappeared, a blinding bolt shook violently the air and the land around and below him and all became dull and foggy. Luke felt his body like a jelly, something was rocking him, as if he had been in a deep pool of cold water...as if he had been made of water...   
  
"Master...Oh Thank the Maker you're alive!" Irene's voice pierced through his ears and Luke silenced her with an uncontrolled move of distress of his pale and cold hand. His eyes were two narrow lines in the middle of a white surface. The blond hair was an unformed amount of deep yellow wires. He tried to open his eyes but the light hit them as if it had been a blade and Luke closed them immediately.   
"Where's Toman? Where's Dakana? We're we?" asked painfully moving blindly in what seemed to be a kind of bed. Something warm and relaxing was covering his shuddering body. Irene moved toward him -Luke didn't know if the person near him was still Irene but an unmistakable perfume flew over him- and he became red till the root of the hair. Irene notified the sudden change of color of his distressed face and checked the conditions of the semiconscious Master, her hands were dancing frantically upon Luke. When he finally decided that he must open his eyes the piercing light was attenuated by a gentle shadow. Before him there was Irene, smiling and relieved. Luke tried to smile and Irene touched his right hand, abandoned on the side of the covered bed, out of the warm wool cover.  
"You've made us really preoccupied..." her voice was a warm caress for his ears now.   
"Where are Dakana and Toman?" asked with a preoccupied voice Luke, trying to see behind Irene.  
"Don't worry, Luke, they are here too. " after a pause Irene talked again looking out of the narrow window before her, "This Temple is enormous but I found out that we can use, by now it's obvious, only four room...but now you have to sleep, don't think about your apprentices, they are sleeping now. Lukas and I can hold it easily..." smiling, Irene picked up his cold hand and recovered it under the cover. Luke nodded lightly and Irene caressed his forehead for a moment.   
His eyes were closing, slowly but inexorably closing and Luke sighed deeply before he fell asleep. He couldn't remember what had happened after the bolt and the strange sensation of water nor what had iced him so much to make him shudder, though there had to be something...Luke couldn't sleep. His mind was working frenetically trying to find the answer. He had to remember something. The woman with the strange but beautiful dress and the smile similar to Leia's, the hooded man. They had to be somewhere in the Force and he was going to find them, or at least one of them...Breathing calmly, to make clear his mind, the Master visualize a warm and known place. Slowly a forest grew up around him. Dagobah. It was the most comfortable place he could think about for a meditation.   
The Force was flowing in him, through him giving him expanded perceptions and clearer vision of the present and sometimes the future. This time however Luke wasn't interested in future or present, he wanted to see the past. A past he had lost or hidden in a corner of his brain and he wanted it to link with the event he had been involved no more than a some hours before, for what he could remember. The woman was the easier way to follow, he hadn't seen nothing of the other presence but a tall figure dressed in the Sith Lord outfit -he thought so because of the hood and the length of the clothes and especially for the extraordinary resemblance with Palpatine's cloak- his voice didn't sound known to him while the woman's voice had a familiar timbre. The dress. He had seen it somewhere...didn't he? Before him emerged a little greenish figure. Luke smiled hopefully seeing his old Jedi Master.  
"Following the right path you are..." commented the little being looking up at the Jedi.  
"I hope so Master Yoda...but why I know the woman I saw?" he needed a hint, he desperately needed one!  
"Is not this a question I can satisfy..." was the laconic answer he received.  
"You can't or you don't want?!" asked a little upset Luke looking down at the Master standing on the tiptoes.  
"Young you are but find you can the way..." again the calm voice came to drive him crazy!   
"Give me a trace!" begged Luke kneeling before Yoda but the Master was unmovable.   
"Found you the trace...the woman the trace is...what follows you have to want to discover..."  
"I had known before the woman with the red dress but...I don't know, I remembered her taller and bigger...Is it possible?"  
"Yes it is possible...go on..." it was like the memories were playing with him a distressing hide-and-seek. Luke felt all the weight of the effort he had done to discover what looked like only the door of a hidden palace. Yoda looked at him and bent the head on the left side.  
"Must repose you, Luke, go on later you can." Slowly Dagobah disappeared and Luke fell really asleep this time, too confused to resist the weariness.  
  
  



	6. Great Year 6

6

**6**

Princess Leia was in her private office; it was now visible that she was pregnant. Her secretaries went mad under the mountains of congratulations that arrived every day. She was happy twice. Even if Han had asked her to stay at home and sleep, to do all but not work out, she had gone out that morning, as the previous one. A week. Only another week. It was the term. And in a week they would inaugurate Chewo Coruscant, as she called it using the tender word her father on Alderaan used with her. The Senator stretched out the arms, breathing deeply.

She had gone on with her busy life under tight control of Han, surely one of the most apprehensive fathers in the Galaxy. The General Solo had done all the possible and impossible things, using either the common channels of the Republic and his own smuggler channels, to cut off most of the meetings her wife would have presided. Chewie had seen a great number of matches between wife and husband at home and in the hangar where the _Millennium Falcon was often under review. Luke had been in the same condition pretty often: he had the extraordinary ability to call Cloud City always in the worst moment of their arguments and he had always worked hard to calm them. Leia smiled caressing her babies. She had a free moment between two colloquies with two groups of Senators, one was from Tatooine and Leia was curious to see the representatives of the planet that had saved his brother's life, hiding him for twenty years. Yana's face appeared in the little screen on the left of the writing desk after a beep. Leia turned._

"Yes, Yana."

"They're here, madam." Informed her the secretary.

"Lead them in."

"As you want, Madam." Yana nodded and her face disappeared. Leia rose from the chair and fitted her suit. Someone knocked on the door. She reached the door and opened it. A tall, huge man was in front of her, behind him another thinner man, both with the colors of Tatooine on the shoulders and on the chest. The thinner man moved a step forward and the huge man shifted aside, letting him come in.

"It's a honor for me to meet you Senator Panaka." Said Leia, shaking her hand with the man's. Panaka smiled.

"The honor is mine, all mine, Princess." Answered chivalrously the brown skinned man. Leia beckoned the chair in front of the writing desk and Panaka sat down. The taller man stood silently behind him.

"Well Senator…was there something in particular that you want to discuss?" She hadn't received bad news from Tatooine and couldn't sense any preoccupation in Panaka's soul. Her training would have advised her.

"Yes, to speak clearly, I'm here to talk to you about…" the man hesitated. He turned and whispered something to the guard who nodded and left the room. When the door closed Panaka turned again. "I want to talk to you about your family."

"My family?"

"Your mother…I know it's time for you to know more about her. You probably know about Queen Amidala of Naboo."

"The Great Queen, yes. I know of her from the chronicles, the books…" her voice slowly silenced while a strange thought rose its voice in her mind. 

"Your knowledge will go further now. You don't remember about your mother more than something like a dense fog with some lights…is it true?" Leia nodded. "It's better for you if I start from the beginning. Queen Amidala made my father promise to help you, and your brother, discovering your past. She wanted you to know about her, about how much she cared of you, how much she loved you. The promise has been kept. 'When they'll be safe and my name won't be a danger for them, Panaka, tell them who they are.' These had been her words, my father made me learn them by heart. Now that the new Republic is safe, you're respected and peace governs the Galaxy I feel the need to move and meet you." Panaka took a deep breath then went on. "You Senator Organa and your brother are daughter and son of Queen Amidala of Naboo, the Great Queen. You are Luke and Leia Skywalker. Your mother wanted you to have this." The man slipped a hand inside a pocket then drew it out, carrying something. Leia drew out a hand and Panaka opened the hand. A glittering datacard and a pendant fell in her hand. Leia looked at the pendant then looked at Panaka, waiting for something else. 

"No, there's nothing else. You know the story and that datacard will tell you what I can't." The man rose from the chair but Leia stopped him. "Senator, tell me something about you. I want to know the person who brings light in the darkness of my past. If your father was on Naboo with my…mother…how can you be a Tatooinan Senator?" Panaka smiled.

"My father wanted me to live near your brother but our way never met and…that's all. Probably things would have been different if I had met Luke, oh… Jedi Master Skywalker." 

Leia smiled.

"Don't worry 'bout the name you use." She kept silent for a moment then sighed. "Thank you, Senator Panaka." They shook their hands and Panaka left the office. Leia was surprised and happy. Her brother contacted her.

_Leia…_

_Luke, it's fantastic!_

_I know…he was hiding something, Leia could feel it. _

_What's wrong Luke?_

_It's for Darth Maul and…, it was still unbelievable for him and his mind did an effort to co-ordinate the words, __our mother. She's pursuing him, I've to help her but I don't know how._

_Let her show you the path. Luke smiled; again her thought touched him as a gentle reproach. He nodded and saluted Leia._

_When are you planning to come here?_

_It's not safe for the Academy to be without my presence in this time. I'll be there as soon as possible, I promise._

_Ok, Bye._

His feet led him to the dining room, it was breakfast time and he discovered to be really hungry. The apprentices and Rjssdek, with the brown official Jedi outfit, looked up at him, greeting him. He answered automatically, nodding and raising a hand. He sat down, at his reserved table. A domestic droid, so alike R2 to make Luke feel its lack in his life, arrived, beeping and whistling and put before the Master his breakfast then left.

The room around was extremely bright and full of happiness. Luke's smile didn't want to go away. Irene reached him and touched his shoulder.

"Master?" called uncertainly. Luke looked up at her, regaining a shadow of self-control.

"It's all right, Irene, don't worry. I've just received a wonderful news."

"I know, and I'm glad to see you happy. It has been a long time since you smiled so brightly."

Luke simply nodded. Irene patted on his shoulder, smiling, and then left her Master at his moment of euphoria. 

_Mother…my mother…Queen Amidala of Naboo, the Great Queen…The thought passed in his mind like a flowing advertisement. When the moment passed, the present fell on him with more urgency than before. Now he had another reason to defeat Maul. His mother. _

Mother. That word now, for him, had a face and a name. For the first time in twenty-five years.

After the morning lectures and the exercises for the chorus -built up by Irene and that had heard even the Master sing- Luke found a moment to meditate. 

He had noticed a square room not far from his office that seemed to be born to be a meditation chamber. The silence was absolute, so the darkness. The room was an empty cube and Luke was in the middle of it. His training fasted the reaching of a deep concentration. He was now free from his physical limits, unchained.

Luke let his spirit wander freely in the Force stream.

Suddenly something viscid entered his mind. It was cold and seemed to take death with it. Luke tried to sense the presence clearer to recognize it. Nothing. The presence was scanning his mind and was there but he sensed only its touch. For a moment a memory jumped out of a corner. Luke felt the pain of a stroke of lighting hit him. A blue bolt lit the darkness. The presence smirked them disappeared. Luke was alone again. 

Thoughtfully Luke got out the room. The daylight was bright and pure. The Master stopped before one of the big windows –he had called a squad of workers to destroy part of the heavy walls of the Temple and build up new arc windows- and took a look down. From where he was, he could see the open space where his apprentices were doing physical exercise with long sword-like pieces of wood. He was proud of them, of them all. 

_Luke… Amidala's voice whispered suffering in his brain. Luke iced._

_Mother…_

_Go, Luke…he's becoming too powerful, if you don't go he'll get it…_

_Get what?_

_The Hemmel Crystal…_

_Hemmel…Crystal?_

_Luke please…_

_Where's the crystal?_

_In a secret cave under Folg Island._

_But it's in the other hemisphere!_

_Please, it will be the worst catastrophe after the Civil War._

_Ok… He was answering when Irene's voice shook the air of the corridor._

"Luke!" 

Luke turned immediately. Irene drew out a hand to call him and he ran to her. 

"What happened?"

"Toman…in the hangar…he's gone away…with an A-Wing…Maul…he's in him… again. He's a lightsaber with him…I'm sorry…I haven't done…a good work…guarding the room of…the weapons…." Panted the woman. The Master helped her sitting on the floor. He touched her arm and she screamed. 

"But you're wounded! Who's done this to you?" But it wasn't necessary to have an answer. Luke knew it. "I'll put an end at this…in a way on in another…" Hissed the man, letting the anger pulse in his blood like a mortal river. Irene touched his hand.

"No, Luke…There's no anger…there is calm. Don't let the anger lead you to the Dark Side, never, not because of me." She caressed his cheek. Luke smiled. "Save that poor boy or you'll lose him."

Luke nodded. Irene did a gesture with the hand, it was better for him to go and Luke left her. 

An orange bolt rushed inside the main hangar. Behind him another, taller, presence dressed in orange too. The hangar had come back to life in ten minutes; Luke's orders had the usual tone of a Commander's voice. Four operators were frantically preparing the scarred and worn out X-Wing of the once Commander Skywalker. R4-K7, the astromech droid assigned to it, was silently waiting to be put in its socket. Luke looked at it, wearing his helmet, and sighed. Rjssdek stopped before a Bentarian Hawk, another version of the X-Wing, with silver pictures of animal on black camp.

The ground staff left Luke once the canopy closed. 

Inside the X-Wing there was the familiar smell of ozone. Luke breathed deeply then opened a frequency with the ground staff.

"Here Yavin Base. You're clear to take off Master." Announced a female voice.

Luke cut in the power and the afterburners of the X-Wing became as hot as Hell. Rjssdek gave the affirmative sign and the couple of fighters took off.

"Have you got the A-Wing on the screen?" Asked Luke with an unusually eager voice.

"Yes sir. South East of your position." Answered the female officer. Then the silence.

The low atmosphere of Yavin IV was shaken when the fighters disappeared over the horizon.

Irene was thoughtfully watching over the apprentices, who were reading the copy of the ancient tales of the First Order of the Jedi Knights. The stories had a capturing style, half way between the good-night lullabies and the myths every planet in the Galaxy had; the children hadn't liked the idea of reading the first time they had entered the Library but Luke's ability in playing, with Irene and Lukas, the first tales had made the apprentices curious and now they ran to seize the datacard they'd left the previous day. 

To involve the other Padawans in their story, Dakana and Grrakkj were reciting a paragraph of it. Irene wasn't really paying attention at them, nodding and smiling lightly. The group was instead glued by the performance of the actors. Her soul was in the cockpit of a shabby X-Wing, which was going to meet an obscure future. Irene's perception was driving her crazy and the preoccupation for the mission was increased by the doubt, the unclearness of the feeling that was crushing her heart. The green gloomy eyes were dancing on the horizon trying to see over it, to regain the lost peace. The ache for the wound on the right arm didn't hurt so much now but her mind wasn't free from the pain.

Suddenly a spot appeared at the horizon line. Irene bent the muscles, in waiting. But her mind reached the ship without the comfort of Luke's usual mental shield. From the dark flying objects came only an indistinct sense of anger. That absence amazed the Jedi-in-training, who opened the hands against the cold glass of the window. Another spot followed the first one and together the coming ships veered a little, heading towards the Massassi Temple. Irene's forehead was bathed in a cold sweat.

"Lukas." Called Irene under her breath but it wasn't necessary: Lukas had felt the ships too and had jumped up, ready to push the old button that would cry the approach of the enemy. 

"I'm ready Irene, at your sign." Voiced back the robed young fellow. Irene thought incessantly for five second then nodded. Lukas pressed the button. The eldest apprentice turned, looked around at the amazed children then pointed at the door.

"We've to move. Follow me and Lukas."

Grrakkj barked a question. Even if the other apprentices didn't know perfectly his idiom, they all understood what that sound meant. Irene didn't turned.

"Yes Grrakkj, we're in danger. Probably great danger. But we've not to run out acting like beasts. We're all Jedi-in-training, we'll do our best like the Jedi we want to be." The group agreed with the silence and moved along the corridor.

Long the way for the old refuges in the viscera of the Temple, the group met the preoccupied doctor and his nurses, followed by the humanly worried droids.

"Who's activated the alarm?" Asked the white haired woman.

"I gave the order. There are two approaching ships. And there are no friends on them." Explained Irene and the doctor didn't even think of a light answer to argue about her perceptions. She was like other citizens of the Galaxy, full of a mystical fear and a deep reliance for the Guardians of Peace and Justice.

"Show us the way, Madam." 

Irene nodded and the enlarged group followed her, silently. The Padawan forced her feet to walk fast instead of evidently run, a bit to calm the group and a bit to calm her own furious hearth beat. The group stopped in the weapon room. While the older people were arming themselves Irene ran to a hidden low-ceilinged room. In the darkness she picked up a lightsaber and reached the others in the corridor. No one asked her where she had been. 

The alarm rose and its crying voice echoed till the group arrived before an apparently wall of rock. Irene stopped before it. It looked like she was trying to hear something that the wall itself was telling her. Then her right hand drew out of an inner pocket a little piece of transparent plastic and inserted it in a narrow vertical fissure. After a lonely beep, barely audible in the noise of the alarm, the wall moved silently away, disappearing in the ceiling. Irene lit up the tunnellike passageway and, grabbing tightly the lightsaber, descended. The tunnel smelled of closed and the air was heavy like it had been there since the time of the Clone War. The neon lights on the ceiling and long the walls lit the way and sometimes little creatures ran away from the invaders when their feet touched the following stair. There the sounds were muffled and the group of trustful people hadn't said a word. Irene hadn't the time to speak so everything was quite. Suddenly a beep echoed in the half darkness. A tall humanoid, with the uniform of the ground staff of the Republic, started searching frantically in his many pockets. The clawed right hand disappeared inside one of them. The man drew out a little datapad, with a screen and a comlink incorporated in the square blue structure. The other members of the ground staff of the little base in the Temple stopped, making the doctor and her followers stop suddenly too to avoid a collision. Irene had heard the beeping call of the datapad and stopped. Lukas, apparently second in command, looked in her eyes for a fraction of second then reached the gray group behind the young Padawans.

"Then?" 

The small glowing eyes of the Aar'aa looked up at the man.

"The ships are now on Yavin4's surface." The eyes looked down a moment. "Twenty unknown people are approaching the furthest edge of the controlled space around the Academy." Lukas nodded, turned to Irene and came back at his position, behind the group of Padawans. In a scale of importance they were three stairs before the other people and had to be protected. Irene sighed, her first sound from the beginning, and then drew a step forward. The people started move after her again. 

The trees under the star fighters were only green spots on the background and the sea was an increasing blue spot twinkling in the light, reddened by Yavin's huge presence. Suddenly the Jedi Masters felt a deep pain. Luke recognized Irene's presence. She was trying to hide her feeling but Luke's training passed easily through the weak mental wall. The Academy was in trouble! They were running away from something. 

_Irene…_

_Master, we're under attack but, don't worry, we're safe, by now._

_I'm coming back._

_No. You've to save that poor boy. We'll be fine. Luke sighed. Irene was right. He couldn't have come back in time however even if he had reached his top speed. He had to be the Master. Rjssdek followed his thoughts but didn't express his opinion._

_Irene, good luck. May the Force be with you._

_And with you Master. We all need it._

Irene slowly went out of his mind. Luke admonished himself not to be blinded by his feelings. He had to be clear on what he had to do. Rjssdek called him.

"Master, Toman's not far from us. What will we do?" Asked the Bentarian Jedi. His voice had a preoccupied tone. Luke tried to be convincing.

"Don't hit the fighter, we've to make him land, without killing Toman. Clear?"

"Crystalline."

Luke fell in a deep meditation, after a quick passage on the first row of switches in front of him. 

He could feel Toman, far from him, surrounded by a dense blackness. But, instead of fighting it, Toman had embraced Maul's spirit like the apprentice welcome the Master's teachings. The man felt the weight of that truth fall upon him with a deafening sound of broken glasses.

_No…Toman…I lost him…_

_You've never had him. His mother's presence warmed him a little but the wound in his heart was deep. It was the first time. He wanted to cry and scold himself for what he hadn't seen._

_I can save him…can't I? _

_No, you can't Luke. He's chosen the path to follow._

_But he's too young!_

_Let him go, Luke. When you meet him, you'll have your chance to make him turn and come back. But if the Dark Side is strong in him, as the Masters feel, you'll have to let him go, following his destiny._

Luke sighed, nodding. But it was still too dark, too bad. Toman, like his father. He'd saved Anakin. 

He could save Toman.

A beeping sound attracted his attention. Toman's A-Wing was on the screen. It was landing on an island, the biggest of the Archipelago where Folg Island was.

"Rjssdek, there's an open space behind that trees, we'll lend there." Instructed Luke, following Toman's way to the shore.

"Roger, Master." Answered immediately Rjssdek. 

The fighters landed.

Luke jumped down and ran to the edge of the wood. Toman had reached Folg Island. It was like he was waiting for something, or someone.

A huge mercantile landed on the bigger island. A group of people descended. There was a smaller figure in the middle of the group, an important person surrounded by his guards. Luke paid a great attention at the group, forgetting for a moment Toman. There was something in that group that made Luke's blood freeze. Perhaps it was only a wrong perception; the memory was playing with him again. It couldn't be real…the hooded presence couldn't be…

Rjssdek moved and Luke turned to look at him.

"It's better for us to divide. You'll follow the group, I'll go after Toman, ok?" Luke forgot that he was speaking to a Master, probably with far more experience than him, but Rjssdek nodded, in agreement, acknowledging his superiority (probably come out from nowhere) as the Prime Master of the Academy of the New Order.

Luke patted on his shoulder, did a deep breath then moved silently.

Rjssdek waited until he saw Luke swimming, extremely slowly, rounding the island. Then the Bentarian Morpher moved forward, becoming as little as a pony and reached the island. 

The group of people turned all at once and the taller men drew out their guns pointing them at Rjssdek, ready to shoot. The shorter presence came out of the wall of brawny shoulders and looked at him. He was a harmless Yavinian Pony. Four innocent black eyes were looking at the hooded figure. The man took the hood off. Rjssdek jumped back, neighing loudly. In a moment all his fears became reality in front of him. The group of guards moved immediately and covered the Sith Lord –the outfit was the unmistakable suit of the Sith Lords-. Rjssdek, acting like a stupid animal started running around. Luke could now dive and follow Toman, under the green surface of the atoll.

Probably it was a fortune that the little squad hadn't thought about a trap revelator and immediately, two guards were trapped and killed by a hidden laser. The other startled at the sudden end of their friends and became suspicious. Another laser came to life after that a guard touched a platform, hidden under false grass, and the man and his companion became a smoking amount of ash. The captain of the squad stopped. Then, after a long look at the ground at the trees at everything around the group, he moved slowly. Another switch clicked and the tall brawny man jumped away from another mortal bolt. Moving only the hand, he instructed his soldiers. The remaining soldiers of the first squad walked cautiously after the captain. They hadn't the evil grin of victory on their face anymore. The planet was uncomfortable and the hand of man was terrified. The Academy wasn't a harmless monastery to contemplate the beauty of the universe, but a training center to preserve that beauty.

But even if the Captain was a sharp-minded man he couldn't avoid the death of another soldier and the apprehension of the group rose exponentially with every step, every sound, and every movement behind the green malefic wall of leaves.

Finally the group, tired and distressed, saw the entrance of what they thought was a mountain in the middle of the forest. The Temple rose, apparently like the giant trees all around, silent and majestic. All was immobile, deadly immobile. The Captain pointed at two of the men behind him, who looked around for a moment then moved forward.

"They're above us now…" commented Lukas, looking out of a narrow window near the ceiling that opened long the wall of the main room of the Temple.

"Keep quite." Hissed back Irene. The apprentices were mute, as near as the leaves of a tree, half hidden by Irene's tall presence in front of them. Lukas nodded, keeping on looking out. He saw the guards enter the big room and look around suspiciously with the blasters out of the holsters. The Aar'aa reached him and looked out. One of his long clawed fingers was eagerly waiting to hit a little switch on the left side of the blue datapad. Lukas bent toward the man.

"What do you want to do?"

"Kill them."

"How?"

"In every room there are some traps. I can choose which activate and which not. But those bastards have to walk on a specific part of the floor, where it's sure they'll become smoking ash immediately. You go to that window and tell me when they are above the floor near the female statue. Madam, can I ask you to do me a favor?" Irene nodded. "Perfect, go to the opposite window and tell me when they're near the fallen column."

The boy was not far from him and Luke found the way to reach the cave under the island where Toman had entered without been noticed by him. Inside the cave there was breathable air. A smell of fish welcomed the Jedi Master when he finally breathed again, coming out of the water. Still hiding himself in the Force, Luke started following the wet traces Toman had left.

The path seemed to lead nowhere but in a dark corridor and the Master extended his perception as far as he could to sense in time a probable trouble. The corridor was humid and the sound of his steps was the only noise in the darkness. Finally Luke saw a far light, like a candle lonely burning in a bigger room. 

The man silently moved on a side and pressed the back against the wall, keeping on going forward until he reached the entrance of the room. Inside the diaphanous light had a font: an oval crystal of a pale blue, suspended at mid-air. Toman's slim figure was a dark spot against the light. Luke stopped on the entrance and looked at the boy. He had known him five months before but, as for the other apprentices, he felt a deep affection for him. Toman was his apprentice. But the Dark Side had seduced him and now Luke had to take him back. The boy took a step toward the crystal, his arms drawn out to touch its warm surface. 

The crystal emanated a huge power, symbol of a deep connection with the Force flowing. Luke didn't know what that crystal could do but he felt the great energy it could give. Toman took another step. A drop of water rolled down from his forehead. Another. Luke couldn't let him touch the crystal.

"Toman!" Luke came out of the shadows. Toman stopped and looked at him, angrily. "Fight him! Don't let him rule. You can win." The boy drew a step back and picked up something from behind his back. When Luke saw his hands again two red blades shone in the half-light. Luke ignited his lightsaber, but he didn't act like he was ready to fight.

"I won't fight."

"It'll be easier to kill you, then." 

"But I won't leave him in your hands, Maul."

"It's unavoidable, Jedi. There's someone who wants this crystal and the boy. He's incredible connected with the Dark Side of the Force and He wanted him." 

"Who wants him?!"

"You can't know it now. If you don't feel him, it's because it's not the time you do it."

Toman sighed and grabbed better the lightsaber. Luke didn't move to attack. The boy ran to him and started the battle. Luke parried the blows without passion or attention; he was passive like the little rock in the big river that knows it can't stop the water. His body was relaxed and this behavior upset incredibly Maul who grinned furiously at the Master.

"Fight!" Ordered Maul, shaking the double lightsaber. 

"No." Whispered Luke, calm, terribly calm.

"You're a coward!" 

"You're the coward who hides behind the shoulders of a child."

"You bored me, little insignificant _Jedi."_

The boy raised a hand, ready to hit Luke with a stroke of blue light.

"Damnation, it's like they know where not to walk." Lukas's voice creaked, full of distress. 

"Yes, but we've to wait, and hope they don't find the way for the private rooms of the Master." Murmured Irene, looking in and out. 

"Why?"

"For a simple reason: they're the private rooms of the Master. It's like enter the rooms of a King, it's for a question of respect and safety. We don't know what Master Luke has in his bedroom. Even if I'm sure he would have told us if there had been something dangerous there…" her speech had a clear and simple logic.

"You're his best friend here, you'd have known it…"Added Lukas, convinced.

"However, if they find the hidden passageway, I'll go out and fight with them." The tone of her voice didn't allow an argument.

"But you're raving or what?!"

"I'll go and knock you out if you block me."

"You're stupid…are you telling me that you would go out there, act like a Jedi and save the secret –supposing that there's one – of Luke? For which reason? Respect!"

"Lukas, you can think what you want. I'm the first real Padawan of Master Luke, I'm in debit with him." Something deeper that the respect had guided her voice and Lukas narrowed his eyes in a questioning expression.

"Please, Madam, Mister, stop talking and come back to your position." Said the humanoid, checking out of the window where the guards were. Irene and Lukas turned in the same instant. The right hand of the woman was seizing the smooth handle of the lightsaber. Lukas shook his head and sighed, looking out of the window.

Something moved behind the Jedi and stopped Toman. Luke felt a presence but he couldn't have a clear perception of him, as during the morning meditation. The fact didn't frighten Luke. The man slowly turned and looked at the thin short person before him. The boy emanated a huge power, the darkness all around him seemed to eat the light of the crystal. Luke saw a pleased smile run across his lips as if he was glad to see him. Two probing malefic yellow eyes scanned Luke's face. The man shuddered for a sudden shiver that shook him deeply. It wasn't for his wet clothes.

The boy was overjoyed, evilly overjoyed. Luke didn't move and cleared his mind from the unreasoned fear for that hooded boy. At least he was only a boy!

The silence was broken only by the low endless music of the crystal and the noise of the sea. Toman was pawing impatiently. He wanted to kill Luke; he wanted to accomplish his duty. He had been conquered by Maul a short time before his meeting with Luke. The spirit of the Dark Lord of the Sith had seduced him with an endless power and the possibility to rebuild the Empire with his own signature. Toman wanted his grandfather to be proud of him. His grandfather, who had been the potent Commander on the _Exterminator and had won a lot of battles, during the first years of the Empire annihilating the Dungan System. Dreams of power were winding in his mind. _

His hand moved slowly. 

He focused on Luke's back. 

Toman's hand opened. 

But the light hit the wall.

Luke did a complete caper. Without rationally thinking about it, he handled the lightsaber and threw it toward Toman's chest. And his mind analyzed the situation clearly only when the hand opened and the arm relaxed. 

A green bolt passed through the soft flesh, with a disgusting smell of burnt meat. The time iced for a moment. From Toman's throat came out nothing but a sigh. The boy fell on the ground. The other boy ran to him and checked his vital signs with a quick movement of the hand upon his forehead. A dark cloud left Toman's body and entered the body of the other boy. He had eaten up Maul's spirit. He picked up the double lightsaber from the hand of the dead body.

Luke didn't even try to stop him. His astounded eyes were focused on Toman's body, on his opened eyes.

Those eyes would persecute him for a long time. He knew it.

Menacing Luke with the lightsaber, the hooded boy drew a step toward the Crystal. Luke followed in a very passive way his movement. The yellow eyes of the boy were glittering with desire. Desire of power. 

Suddenly a violent shiver shook Luke's body.

_Luke, react! Toman's gone. You've to think about the crystal! Amidala's imperative voice would have shaken the highest iced mountains of Hoth, but Luke's mind answered with a dull low noise. Then, unexpectedly, the dull noise grew. Grew. It was now as loud as the scream of the afterburners under heavy work. Hate. Anger. The spirit of the Great Queen was in the middle of that storm. She called out Luke's name twice. And the storm calmed a little. The Code winded in Luke's mind, taking the peace and the control of knowledge with it._

Yes. 

He couldn't let it happen. 

He was a Jedi Master.

The young hooded man turned. He had sensed the change in Luke's spirit. 

Every trial has a conquest. 

Luke had conquered a deeper calmness, a deeper consciousness of…probably of himself, of the Universe, of the deep bond within the two things. And the boy's dark peace trembled for a moment. 

Luke, Toman's death was now only another shadow in his soul, focused on the crystal, on its shape, color, sound. He imagined that it rose and flew in his hands.

The light in the room moved.

The hooded boy snorted, angrily. The Jedi Master opened his eyes and his hands and grabbed the crystal. His major duty was to take the crystal at the Academy, where he could control it. But it wasn't so easy. 

The double lightsaber rose. The boy acted like he was ready to cut Luke's head off. 

His eyes met the eyes of the boy. The obscure light in those yellow eyes brought a terrible reminiscence. Luke drew a step back. He wasn't frightened by what he had remembered. He was astounded.

The Jedi Master called his lightsaber. The light blade trembled. Luke focused deeper on it. With a low buzzing the lightsaber flashed in his right hand. Hiding the crystal inside the wet cloak, Luke prepared himself for the unavoidable battle. 

In his heart the calm was absolute. The fight wasn't transmitting him anger, fear, hate. His first real battle against a Dark Lord – the boy was probably a young one- after the deaths of Anakin and Palpatine. And he was serene.

_Probably it's for the crystal. It must have some special connections with the Force and can accentuate the predominant part in a Jedi. That boy wants it to increase its dark possibilities._

Luke let his deepest part reach the inner fragment of the crystal, its pulsing heart of diamond. His heartbeat was sounding in unison with the crystal.

The menacing noise of the lightsaber took Luke back to the physical level where he had a battle to fight.

"Prepare yourself to disappear." The irony in his voice was plain and its tone was as sharp as a knife. Behind the veil of darkness came out a grinning seventeen-year-old face. The curly light brown hair was like infernal flames in the bloody light of the weapon.

"You are too self confidant." Admonished Luke with the voice he used with his own Padawan. The boy felt his words like a harsh reproach and shouted back.

"Don't treat me like one of your little stupid apprentices! I'm a Dark Lord of the Sith." The anger mounted in him like a storm and the boy ran toward Luke, ready to fight. Luke, swerving to the left, avoided the impact and parried the first blow. The boy turned immediately and attacked again. Luke defended instead of attack. But however, the boy was drawing a step backward at every impact. When the blades met sparks flew in every direction, dancing in the electric atmosphere. The combatants looked at each other between the crossed blades, rotating slowly, like two fighting animals that studied the enemy. Luke's heart was a vast calm sea, in harsh contrast with the palpable anger that ruled over the young Dark Lord, who seemed really disgusted by Luke's behavior, by his inner peace and control.

Gnashing his teeth like a furious beast, the boy, shielded against every attempt of Luke to reach him, threw himself against Luke, trying to do a smoking hole in his flesh. Luke dropped, rising the lightsaber to repel the oncoming second blow, then shifted aside and rose. They exchanged some blows with the grace of two expert dancers, without results, and then paused. The crystal was still safe in Luke's hand after a second exchange of blows, twinkling and singing like a delighted child.

Irene followed eagerly one of the soldiers walk dangerously near the hidden entrance of the hallway to Luke's bedroom. The man stopped before a column and touched it. His hand touched the control panel of the door that shifted aside revealing the passage.

"Ehi! Kadel! I found a passage." 

Irene's jaw contracted. The woman jumped up, heading toward the second exit of the refuge. Lukas grabbed her shoulders.

"Where are you going?"

"I told you Lukas, I'm goin' out there."

"I'm not going to let you do it."

"Don't make me use my powers on you." A diabolic light glittered in her eyes. Lukas, astounded, opened his hands and Irene touched silently the control panel at the right of the door. Before to go, she turned and looked at the other Padawans.

"If I don't come, try to contact Master Luke. May the Force be with you." 

Said that she exited. The door closed behind her shoulders.

She had done a lot of exercise with that lightsaber. Luke had always said that she was a good warrior and that she only had to learn how to control her emotions not to surrender to the Dark Side. With that half conviction the woman reached the door of the passageway. 

When it silently disappeared Irene saw the men looking inside the darkness of the passageway, unsure of what they had to do. Finally the man called Kadel patted on the shoulder of the other soldier and drew a step inside. Irene ran and hid behind a column. Kadel turned but, sure it was only an impression, lit the torch he was carrying. Irene ran again and disappeared behind the column before the one with the control panel, where the other man still was.

"C'mon Yuk. We've to find them. The Lord told us to find them and take the prisoners to the ships. They're harmless monks."

"They're Jedi!"

"No, they're not Jedi yet. They're Jedi-in-training…"

Irene pushed a little colored button on the handle and the blue intense light of the blade lit her pale and contracted face.

"Did you hear it?" cried out Yuk.

"Yes..."

"What was it?"

"I don't know…probably an animal."

"Yes…it was an animal." Repeated the frightened man to reassure himself. The soldiers drew a step inside. 

Luke and the unknown boy were fighting furiously. Luke was giving the back to the entrance of the cave. The sound of the sea grew louder behind him in the loud sizzling of the lightsabers. Luke took a look at the approaching water. The boy lunged. Luke hooked the sword out of the hand of the boy and sent it flying. The boy snorted and kicked the Jedi Master, unbalanced, on the knee. Luke fell on the floor. His lightsaber rolled away. The boy towered above him. The crystal, in spite of Luke's fall, was still in his hand. 

"Give me that crystal, or you'll force me to kill you." It was the first time the boy spoke. Luke covered better the crystal, answering without speaking. The boy sighed, falsely contrite, shaking his head. His right hand recalled his lightsaber. Something diabolic lit his eyes.

"You'll die then. It's a real pity…_Jedi." Luke's eyes became enormous. The boy noticed it and smiled again. A red bolt lit Luke's face. The bolt lowered cutting the soft sand. Luke disappeared in the cold pool of water. A moment before to dive he called his lightsaber._

Rjssdek was starting to worry about Luke's condition down there. It was impossible for him to contact him; the Hemmel Crystal was shielding him. Suddenly a coming light attracted the attention of the transformed Jedi Master. The brawny guards didn't pay attention at him and he reached the edge of the island. Finally Luke's blond head appeared from the water. The man breathed deeply. 

The men turned but Rjssdek changed form again becoming an enormous rancor. The prompt shots of the guards didn't stop the beast that roared and beat the ground with its feet. Luke came out of the water and ignited his lightsaber. The men shot at him but he repelled their blasts then gave the crystal to the rancor that morphed in a tall humanoid. Rjssdek smiled seeing only some bleeding scratches on his friend. The hooded boy jumped out of the water and landed between the Jedi and the guards, grabbing the double lightsaber with even more anger. But he didn't attack with the mortal weapon. He cast the lightsaber away then pointed the open hands at Luke. The Master drew a step back; he knew what was going to happen. When the blue evil bolts buzzed toward him, Luke jumped away.

"Rjssdek! Go and help Irene."

The Bentarian ran away. "May the Force be with you, Master Skywalker." Murmured the Jedi disappearing behind the green wall of the wood on the continent, dodging the intense volume of fire of the guards. The star fighter flew away.

"Go after him!" ordered the boy. The guards ran inside the mercantile ship and started pursuing the fast fighter.

"We're alone now…" 

"I'm not afraid of this."

The boy tried to hit Luke with other strokes of lighting. Luke drew out his left hand and the light crashed against the open palm. The Jedi Master focused all his power in his left palm to contrast the boy but after another assault Luke's arm trembled and one of the blue bolts hit Luke's forearm. The Jedi grinned in pain, looking at the boy with a strange light in his blue eyes. More he was near to the boy, more the darkest part of him -the part he had learned to keep down, to expel to embrace the Light- came out howling of anger and revenge, icing him. No! He was a Jedi, a Jedi Master, he couldn't surrender to the Dark Side. He had the knowledge to resist. He had the duty to resist. And he resisted. 

Again he had played on a razor's edge and he had won. The boy grabbed the lightsaber and attack, jumping high in the air and trying to cut Luke's in half. The Master repelled the blow in a blinding cascade of light sparks. Alternating the blade with which he attacked the boy forced Luke to move tracing a circle. The wood was now behind him and he knew it was only a jump that he needed to reach his X-Wing. It was more important for him to save Irene and the Academy than kill -probably he would have killed him- the boy who was so much like the nightmares that had followed the battle of Endor. And he did it. Bending his legs for a fraction of second Luke flew away from the boy whose lunge cut nothing but the air in front of him. The boy stopped without trying to catch Luke again. He followed the X-Wing way in the blue sky of Yavin4 then drew out a comlink and a male voice spoke.

"Sir, are you alright?"

"Don't worry. Come here and let's come back home."

"Immediately Sir." Answered promptly the male voice.

"He's still corruptible, it's only a question of time." Added thoughtfully the boy, with a voice that made him older and wiser. Then he switched the comlink off and sighed, smiling evilly.

Irene did a deep breath then came out of her refuge.

"Stop immediately." Ordered firmly, to hide her fear. The men turned and looked at her. Yuk pointed trembling the blaster at her and shot. Irene repelled the blasts that hit the columns and the wall. Kadel studied her for a moment then shot. Irene did another miracle with the lightsaber and saved her life again.

"Who told you they're Jedi-in-training?! A Jedi-in-training don't know how to use a lightsaber like she does!" yelled terrified Yuk. Kadel kicked him in the bottom and grinned at Irene.

"I'm a Jedi. You won't take another step on that staircase, I won't let you do it."

"Heard! She's a Jedi. She'll cut us in half!"

"No…she's a good Jedi, she can't kill us." Kadel turned and looked at Irene, "Am I saying the truth?"

"Yes. I can't voluntary kill you. The Code prohibits it." Yuk smiled. "But I can defend myself and my Master and kill you to do it." The smile on Yuk's face died.

"Prepare yourself."

"It'll be a pleasure."

"I'm sure of it." 

Kadel grabbed Yuk's blaster and threw the man inside the corridor. Irene drew a step back. The soldier shot and the Padawan shifted aside, behind another column. Kadel rounded the column in front of him and Irene's blade cut one of his blasters in half. They were now looking at each other. The blue light of the lightsaber reflected on Irene's contracted face. A red spot was increasing on her right arm. Kadel noticed it and smirked. It was a fortune. He had only to shoot to that red target. Irene tried to reach the weak mind of the soldier. Looking straight in his eyes she did a light move with the left hand and spoke softly but firmly.

"You now lower your gun." The soldier stupidly lowered the gun. "Now you'll go away from this place and refer that there's no one in here."

"Now I'll go away from this place and refer that there's no one in here." Repeated Kadel. Irene breathed deeply. The other soldier moved in the darkness then suddenly ran to his companion and grabbed his gun. The man fell on the floor badly beating his head against the pedestal of a column with a horrifying noise of broken bones. He didn't move again. Irene hid behind a column and averted the blasts. Immediately the room was filled with a dense mixture of powder and smoke. The soldier ran toward her and kept on shooting. Irene danced lowering and jumping to save her life, shielding herself with the lightsaber. Unfortunately a blast hit her leg and she fell on the floor. Yuk arrived at her. The Jedi-in-training was breathing heavily, looking angrily at the man who had hit her. _Avoid passion. Anger. Fear. Her mind soon cleared and she was ready to manipulate the mind of the other soldier. _

"Now…"

"Shut up! Your tricks won't work on me, I won't let you speak!" The irritation mixed with a deep fear made Yuk's voice creak like a droid's. Irene's cheeks turned white in astonishment.

The soldier was ready to shoot but a deafening explosion lit the space out of the Temple. Irene moved rapidly and kicked the hand of the soldier that was grabbing the gun. The weapon flew away from him and Yuk turned immediately with fearful eyes. Irene rolled away from him and jumped up. Her right hand opened and the smooth gray handle of the lightsaber cleft the air and the blue blade shone at mid air. Irene grabbed it with energy. Yuk felt his legs like two fruit jellies. He was going to discover how a roast beef felt when it was reduced in thin slices. And Irene was really going to cut him in two and ran toward the man, shouting loudly. 

Yuk stood up, moving like a fearful mouse, reached Kadel and stopped. He was a soldier. Why was he running away? Irene stopped, the lightsaber still raised above her head. The man picked up the gun and shot. Irene jumped on the left then reached Yuk and in a moment the woman lunged and the light blade passed through the armor. Yuk's eyes opened in confusion and amazement. Irene looked coldly at the man's lifeless body falling on the floor when she freed her weapon. A tall shadow appeared in the fog at the entrance of the Temple. 

"Master Rjssdek!" shouted Irene. The tall humanoid drew a step inside. Irene ran to him.

"Is it alright here?"

"Yes…" whispered the apprentice. A light tone of remorse lowered her voice. "Where's Master Skywalker?" asked then the woman, looking over Rjssdek's brawny shoulders. 

"He's coming."

"The ships?"

"Blown up. Only the mercantile had survived."

"Mercantile? Which mercantile?"

"Luke will tell you all when he'll be here."

A soft light from inside the closed cloak of the Master attracted her attention.

"What are you hiding?"

"It's better for us to show you what I have here only inside. It's not safe out here." Irene nodded and followed the tall humanoid. Rjssdek suddenly turned; Irene had already turned toward the door of the Temple. They both were looking out, trying to see the sky.

"What was that disturbance in the Force?! It was like a Dark Lord had been here, really near." Irene's voice was a loud amazed yell. Rjssdek shook his head. 

"I was afraid of this…" said thoughtfully, looking down.

"Afraid of what?!"

"I have to talk with Luke." The Master was talking to himself, without looking at Irene. 

"Is it something dangerous?! Tell me if there's a danger."

"I don't know how great would it be. Irene, probably it's something far. I've to talk to the Great Master." His words would have convinced her but in his eyes there was something in harsh contrast with his voice.

The man drew a step forward and Irene followed him.

Luke was in the warm cockpit of his starfighter. The Jedi cloak was behind his seat. The R2 unit was silent and the little screen that translated its electronic idiom was dark, lifeless. Luke's mind stopped a moment on it, thinking about Artoo-Detoo and its human behavior. The missions made with the blue and white astromech droid and how humanly Threepio asked him to take care of his friend. But a sudden blackout darkened his mind. The worrying presence came again in his mind, shaking deeply the Force stream. Luke seized the controls of the X-Wing not to surrender to the vertigo that had wrapped him like the coils of a snake. For a moment the threatening presence showed itself then came back in the darkness. Luke was panting; the bright eyes were looking around in the cockpit. 

The Jedi Master forced himself to be calm, passive, to acknowledge what had happened, look at it cautiously and find its meaning, if there was one. Apparently what he had felt was the result of a Dark Lord of the Sith, threatening but normal presence in the Force. However he couldn't avoid linking the hooded boy to that intense sensation and to the painful presence of the morning. And with those elements the puzzle became a bit darker. Luke didn't want to do those strange conjectures and did a deep breath clearing his mind from those dark thoughts. 

And another sad thing came up from a corner. Toman. His death had passed through his heart like his sword had done with the smooth flesh of the boy. But he could decide to survive or surrender. Survive. He had to survive. Toman's death had given him strength. 

But damn! Why he had acted so impulsively! He had killed Toman, he could turned around it a thousand times, that was the truth. In an ancient script of the Jedi Order he had read that'A Jedi is always and however a man. A man can fail, do mistakes. A Jedi can fail, do mistakes and learn from them. This is knowledge.' Then he could do mistakes. Killing a person is a mistake if you didn't want to. 

_What are you talking about Luke!! The pale Master shook with energy his head. What was he trying to do?! __You've not excuses. Learn from what you've done, without treating it like an accident. You've not thought enough. You were not in peace, in perfect tune with the living force. Yoda would have beaten me on the head with his stick. Instead of Yoda's stick there was his conscience that was beating him. __I acted without thinking, I can admit it. I'll tell the truth to the Academy. They've to know who's guiding him. A man. A damn fool man not old enough to be called Master. Master of what?! He had passed a year between Tatooine and Dagobah, studying, doing exercises, living like a monk for months, leaving the Rebel Alliance on its own in a lot of battles, and for what? Lose an apprentice, killing him. __Great work Luke! He would have, in a very masochist way, kept on scolding himself, denigrating his work. But slowly he saw how stupid was what he was doing. And decided to stop it immediately. __Toman died. I can't bring him back to life. I've learned to look deeper inside my future apprentices not to do this mistake again. I would have left him with his parents if I had seen he was so deeply connected with the Dark Side, probably finding a way to eliminate every memory of Jedi abilities. But I haven't and I've killed him, blinded by the anger that boy had made me show. This means that I've still to learn perfectly the way to avoid negative feelings and I swear: I'll do it._

"…and that's all." Luke'd just finished telling why Toman hadn't come back with him. The apprentices were astonished, Luke could feel their sorrow but for some reasons they understood his behavior, completely. Understood and forgave. A warm touch took Luke back to the world. Irene's hands were gently holding his cold murderous hands. The others slowly got up and reached their Master. Lukas was the only one who was still thoughtfully looking down, the arms folded on the chest. His face was contracted in a serious expression. Silently he left the room. Rjssdek left Luke and followed him.

"What are you thinking about, Lukas?" asked whispering. Lukas wasn't able, or he didn't want, to speak. Somehow the Master understood. A comprehensive smile crept his thin lips. Slowly the Master turned but Lukas finally whispered and he turned immediately. 

"He…he was…" Lukas started his sighs were louder than his voice but Rjssdek was hearing them perfectly. "Was so alike him…I tried to save him…I'm not so good as a Jedi…"

"Not all the Jedi have the same powers. Dedalus can talk with Nature but he has to work hard to do the same with a person. Dakana is a fantastic mind reader, instead, but she can't talk to the other creatures. You, I've seen it, can easily see the past, the future and it's a gift as important as the others. All of us are somehow special. We're not wizards, or a sect, we're men and women, before to be Jedi. You'll never see a Jedi able to do everything. Even Luke, I know you're thinking about him, has something that he can't do perfectly." He paused. Lukas sighed again. He was not convinced. There was something he was desperately hiding. "I won't say a word about it, but it would be better for you to speak. It's not only because you've failed helping Toman…"

"Fudor, my brother…my…little dear brother…If only I…"suddenly Lukas turned and beat his fists against the wall.

"What happened?"

"He died, it was all my fault. That Hutt, that bastard. Only another fight, he said, one…one last fight. And I fought. When I woke up the other combatants told me what had happened. Busha de'Hutt had made him fight. And that beast killed him. They said he'd died like a man, without a scream. I wanted to die. But I wanted to take Busha and Dolka Puty, his assassin, with me. A squad of Stormtroopers arrived and Busha told them to take me to the Slave Market on Thando3…He's still breathing and my brother is another spot of blood on the wall of the Arena!" Lukas didn't want to cry and kept on beating his fists on the wall until they bled. Rjssdek stopped him. The speech hadn't been perfectly clear but he understood what was behind the words. 

"I understand Lukas. Toman was the shadow of your brother and you wanted to save him. But now avoid the revenge. A Jedi doesn't purse revenge."

Lukas looked up and shouted as loud as he could "He deserves to die, Master!" His anger echoed in the corridor. Rjssdek shook his head. "You know because Toman's died. The Dark Side was strong with him.Your feelings do you credit but remember you're a Jedi." An eager silence filled the corridor. Lukas bent the head forward. "Are you going to leave us?" asked the Master. Lukas didn't move.

"I don't know."

"Give yourself the time to clear your mind. I've a mission in the Mid-Rims. I can go in a standard week."

Lukas understood what Rjssdek was telling him and nodded.

"I'll talk to the Great Master then."

Lukas slowly moved away and left the Master.

Luke appeared on the doorstep when Lukas was a shadow in the distance.

"I don't want to lose another apprentice."

"He's now my Padawan, we'll avoid it, Luke. He's now like you were when you confronted your father for the first time." Luke's eyes rose immediately. "We talked a lot about this with Anakin." Explained the Master, with a light smile. 

Luke's shoulders relaxed a little. "Take him with you," his head slowly rose and looked at the darkness of the corridor, "I know how he feels."

"Now that this problem is solved, we've another person to think about. Irene."

"She told me about what she had done. I asked her to fight with me. I think…she's probably ready for her lightsaber."

"You'd need Yoda's opinion, but you're now the oldest Master and her personal Trainer, you've to decide. I saw her fight. Her problem is not technical. Like all the young Padawans she fights with anger, the hate for her enemy is strong. But it's not dangerous. If she is able to control it…" 

Luke did a deep sight of relief. "I'm going to be alone for a while…" commented smiling.

Rjssdek brotherly patted on his shoulder. "I'll be back in a week. Don't worry, those children are not going to kill you." 

The two Jedi laughed and Luke found out how much he needed to laugh.


	7. Great Year 7

7

**7**

It was a lonely morning on Yavin4. Luke was at the table with the apprentices. It was a typical morning for the big family, though all in the enormous dining room felt Irene's absence. Even the food had lost its usual taste. The once noisy apprentices were silently eating, every word sipped like the hot bread in the middle of the table.

"When will she come back?" Finally Valene did the question all in the room were thinking about. Luke's spoon trembled for a moment. Irene'd left the Academy four days before on the_ Moonlight Shadow, her own spaceship, a tiny old Alderaanian mercantile. Luke had asked her if she wanted a companion a co-pilot a nurse, someone. But she'd smiled and shaken her head softly. The hatch of the ship had closed behind her silently._

"I don't know, yesterday we talked. She only said she had found my and Obi-Wan's house and that she liked my old bed room…" 

Adam's mind put together Irene Luke and a bedroom and he was now trying to cover his mouth but he couldn't help it and everyone heard him laughing. Luke silenced. Adam slipped under the table. Luke followed the apprentice under the table. Adam saw the blond head approaching and ran. The other apprentices were all watching the hunting under the table. 

Adam gained the exit but Luke didn't want to let him go. His first motivations were slowly leaving the place to a truly wish of amusement. When their Master came out of under the table the apprentices saw a delighted smile on his face. Hujan, Liby and Faje started clapping rhythmically their hands, acclaiming Luke.

"Master Luke, Master Luke!" 

Valene and Dakana instead were shouting loudly to incite Adam. The young Wookiee looked at Luke running after Adam in the dining room. He wasn't interested and turned to Derek, near him. The Wookiee growled at the boy. For the first time Derek answered him, he had understood his language.

"Well, friend, I'm Corellian, on my planet there aren't many Jedi, two in our whole history. My father didn't believe in the Force before I saved him, avoiding him to fall down from a ladder. He's still trying to find a rational reason for what I've done." Grrakkj smiled and talked again. "Your uncle knows another Corellian like my father?" the Wookiee barked, "Who? General Solo?! It's impossible, how your uncle can…" but Grrakkj barked again. "Your uncle is Chewbecca?! Wow!" They kept on talking for a while when suddenly Luke jumped over them and landed on the table. 

"Master?!" 

Luke was exhausted but happy. He was panting, smiling like a child. Adam knelt on the floor, panting too, with the same delighted smile on the face. The game was over. Luke descended from the table and called his apprentices with a gesture of the hand. The group formed around him in a second. Master and apprentices moved, heading toward the outside of the Temple, when the intercom beeped.

"Master Luke, the_ Moonlight Shadow's just landed. Hangar 2/RE." The children shouted and jumped. Luke wanted to run and after the first meters he did it, followed by his joyful apprentices._

The hatch slowly opened, the ramp lowered. In the silence of the hangar a shadow appeared in the doorstep. Luke was still panting. The other young guys were anxious to see Irene. The hooded figure descended silently when without a word she ran down to Luke. The hood fell behind the head. Luke opened his arms to welcome Irene and the woman threw herself in that warm embrace. Luke's arms closed behind her back. 

The apprentices surrounded Irene and Luke. The Jedi Master slowly opened his arms again and Irene moved away, kissing every apprentice embracing everyone again and again. Luke followed the scene with a little smile. He was obviously happy because Irene now was a complete Jedi apprentice, probably a Jedi. But the inner part of his happiness was something that he didn't want to admit. He was happy simply because she was there again, near him.

"Master Luke." 

Luke drew a step toward Irene. The apprentices had been dismissed and were playing and chattering in the hangar.

"Yes?"

"Is there a place where we can talk?"

Luke nodded and pointed at the entrance of the hangar. Irene followed him silently.

When the noisy group was far from them Luke stopped and turned to Irene.The apprentice breathed slowly then talked.

"I…I wanted to ask you to test my lightsaber." 

Luke relaxed, nodding. For a moment he had trembled listening to her voice. Irene shyly picked up her lightsaber and looked at the bright handle for a moment before to give it to Luke. 

The Master examined the handle. It was perfect. Irene had lightly carved something on it. Luke read the basics symbols on the silvery surface. It was the Jedi code. Finally the Jedi Master pushed a little lilac button and a light blue blade lightened his face. The color was pure and uniform.He tested it before him. Finally nodding, he quenched the lightsaber and gave it back to Irene.

"It's perfect…I think…" Irene felt her hearth in her throat. And if…"No, it's better for us to wait." Luke's voice was a thoughtful whisper. The Jedi Master looked straight in her eyes for a moment, forcing her to look in his. "Be careful with it, Irene. You can surely hold it at your belt but keep an eye on it. Don't leave it in a place where the younger Padawan can find it."

"Don't worry Master."

The intercom called Luke again.

"A call for Master Luke. You can receive it in the hangar, Master."

Luke did a light shrug and reached a column in a corner of the hangar. The screen blinked for a moment then Han's face appeared in the little square.

"Han? What's the matter?!"

"Hi kid!"

"I told you not to call me kid…"

"I' know, I know…but kid," Han smiled pleasantly while Luke was shaking his head "I'm here to invite the Jedi of the New Order to the inauguration of Chewo Coruscant."

"It's complete?! It's fantastic! When is the inauguration?"

"It's in…wait I've the invitation somewhere…" Han's head disappeared for a long moment, and then popped up again. His eyes were reading something that Luke couldn't see. "It's in…25 standard hours…"

"25?"

"You know Leia is electric and she's set all a month ago. The party…the transports…everything…"

"But she can't travel in hyperspace!"

"It's what I told her but she repeated that the doctor gave her the permission and he'll come with us on the _Falcon so…you see, I've accepted."_

"She's a leader…"

"Sometimes I think I married the Emperor!"

They both laughed. Luke then sighed.

"Well, Han, tell me the place for the rendezvous and we'll see in less then 25 standard hours…my ship will precede yours."

"What are you trying to say? Your younger brother is better than my older Falcon?! We'll see!"

They laughed again then Han dialed the co-ordinates of Chewo Coruscant.

"It's in the Core of the Core…" commented Luke, reading on the screen.

"Leia wants it in the same place of the old one…"

"Then friend…see you."

"Bye!"

The screen blinked and turned black. 

The corridor was noisy like a stable. The apprentices were preparing their stuff. The _Star Horse was waiting in the hangar. Luke and Irene had divided the apprentices in two groups and were everywhere. The younger were, as always, the worst problem. Luke had opened and closed wardrobes for three hours trying to dress up the children who found really funny run around in and out of the rooms. _

"Stop!" Luke's voice thundered in the corridor and everyone silenced. 

Finally every apprentice had a sack and now was waiting, in an ordered silent row, for Luke to move.

The hatch closed and Luke was on his way to the cockpit, where Irene was waiting for him, when someone knocked on the door. Luke felt a known presence and jumped back to open the hatch again.

"Have you got other two seats?" Lukas's voice made Luke smile. 

"Yeah sure, jump in!" Rjssdek threw inside two sacks and gracefully jumped in after them. Lukas needed a little help from Luke but he did it and the hatch closed, not to open again.

"I'm glad to see you Lukas." Then he turned toward Rjssdek and smiled, "Master Rjssdek." Said formally. 

"Master Luke." The tall man answered in the same serious voice then they laughed and embraced each other.

Luke's comlink beeped. It was Irene.

"I'm coming, Lukas and Master Rjssdek are here!"

"I know, I know, but we can't waste time, you can talk in the hyperspace."

"Is she the boss now Master?" asked smiling Lukas.

Luke answered with a light shrug and ran away.

The white wall of light lines before him was a quite usual vision but Luke was keeping on looking at it, voluntarily avoiding any contact with his co-pilot. Irene had given up understanding her Master the first time he had closed his mind to her. But she still felt that it was all her fault. She wanted to cry.

The coldness in the cockpit was something more than psychological and Lukas realized immediately that something was wrong. Rjssdek had asked him to go and see and he had gone and seen. Luke was a piece of ice in the Force, a strong cold presence. Irene's desperation had done a big bleeding hole in his heart and he couldn't help her. Stopping on the entrance the young man called Irene with a gesture. The woman turned immediately, glad to see him. Lukas did a light movement with the head and Irene got up, following him out of the cockpit. Luke didn't turn, even if Lukas's presence had touched him.

"What's going on, Irene?!" Asked the man in an accusing voice. Lukas was whispering, as if Luke or the others, wanting to do it, wouldn't have been able to listen to them. Irene sighed.

"It's impossible that you don't know…" Lukas's unbelief was now plain and uncontrollable. 

"But it's the truth!" Immediately her eyes fell on the floor. Lukas felt guilty for what he had thought and patted on her shoulder, trying to apologize.

"Irene, I…I didn't mean that it was your fault." 

"Probably it is…"Whispered the woman, looking absently at the metallic panel behind Lukas's shoulders. The man startled but Irene spoke again before he could build a comprehensible question. "He didn't want it to happen, but probably there's something wrong with our friendship." The tears that she had kept back until then now were watering her cheeks and Lukas's hand that was caressing them. 

Desperate laments soon filled the corridor.

In the cockpit someone else was crying, desperately, lying on the instruments. Luke's face was a mask of sorrow; his beautiful eyes were two fissures and the tears rolled down on the control panels, leaving the salty taste of the pain. Pain that was tearing him apart. 

Crying like a child, a frightened child alone in the dark, the marvelous extraordinary Jedi knelt down. 

Doubts. It was all about doubts.

What came first? 

Himself? _No, of course._

Irene? _No, again. _

The Academy? _Yes…probably. _

The Galaxy? _You've got a point, Luke! _

It was like walking on a rope between two planets: balance was fundamental. He had been walking to the bigger planet that needed him, leaving his own little amount of rocks. Was it the right thing to do? A good Jedi whatever it cost? 

Irene's doubts came from the same point. Feeling something for each other, and his mind was avoiding classifying that 'something', was somehow dangerous?

Slowly he sank on the floor as if something had hit him. 

_Ben…Yoda…father…He needed a hand, a warm touch to heal his broken heart._

_Son…Luke expected Ben to answer to his pray but, surprisingly, his father's presence covered his shoulders with a fatherly tenderness. __Why are you crying?_

_Father…what do I have to do?_

_Wait, my dear son. Everyone needs you, needs the Academy. Give yourself the time to rebuild it all._

_Yes but, Irene…needs me too._

_And you need her. Ask her to help you._

_Help me? _

_Talk with her. Don't make her feel guilty, and don't scold yourself. _

The presence left the cockpit as light as a whisper. 

Luke was still lying on the ground, lost in his thoughts so deeply that he didn't notice Irene until her hand touched his back. The body was shaken one last time before the man looked up at her and saw her eyes reddened by the tears. The sight of his gloomy red eyes made the woman smile tenderly. Luke didn't reply to that smile so Irene used the soft handkerchief Lukas had given her to dry the tears from his face. 

The man was docile in her hands and let her clean his face without moving; every wall he had built up between him and his heart had fallen, in those conditions he wasn't neither able to imagine a movement to take him away from that warm hug and he could only stand motionless while Irene was pulling him up from the floor and leaving gently him on his seat. 

He felt he needed that contact only when Irene moved away silently. 

His hand stretched out immediately and blindly grabbed hers. The woman stopped, surprised by that reaction, and turned to look at him. Luke looked up at her and the disbelief disappeared, wiped away by a delicate happiness. Her fingers gradually closed around his, unsure like those of a teenager fallen in love for the first time. Luke tightened the hold and Irene came closer to him sitting on his left side. Their hands were still holding each other. For a long moment, out of reality above any perception, they talked without words, reading in each other's eyes.

The slight touch of their lips came as a natural consequence, without hidden motives. The circle closed, the road ended, on the curve of their two profiles lightened by the running stars. Irene slowly slipped on his legs and bent the head down on his chest. Luke's gloved hand gave him the warmth of her back while he was caressing her. 

Irene hid their hands under her chin and the man kissed her forehead placing then the head on her shoulder.

Luke's voice breezed above the seat without breaking the unreal silence of the cockpit, suspended beyond reality with them. "Will you help me?"

She answered in a way that only Luke could understand and his lips cropped in a smile when he felt his hand grabbed tightly with a sigh of happiness.

A shadow moved in the corridor. Luke's eyes opened, his eyebrows frowned. Irene's perceptions were foggy and she only felt a friendly phantom not far from her; she was sure it was a friendly person that had gone away because Luke had immediately relaxed, without trying to rise.


	8. Master you think?...I'm sure of it.

8

**8**

There were ships everywhere, all around the planet. Luke looked out distractedly but his eyes became immediately enormous. He knew that Coruscant had to be big but it was something far more than only 'big'. Even if the only lights came from the ships that flew around it, the planet showed immediately its apparatus of towers and bridges. 

The enchantment of that vision remained even when Luke and his Jedi diligently descended. The ship shared the hangar with a well known piece of junk. Irene smiled when she recognized Threepio, shining in his gold suit. The woman hadn't to call Luke: before she turned Luke had already left the group and was running to the protocol droid, very childishly in the opinion of the older Master. The Jedi Master didn't give Threepio the time to move and hugged him.

"Sir-sir Luke?!" 

"Threepio!" shouted Luke, smiling.

The protocol droid wasn't able to fully understand human mind but avoided cautiously to express his thoughts. 

"I'm so happy to see you again!"

"I'm happy too…sir Luke."

"Where's Artoo?" asked Irene taking a look around in the hangar. Luke turned and found out that his Jedi were all there, looking at him. He didn't need words to explain his feelings and no one of the Padawans, nor Rjssdek had to ask. Everyone knew that the Master felt homesick as they did.

"It's coming…I hope." Explained the protocol droid in a humanly worried voice. A whistle announced the arrival of the astromech droid. Luke immediately turned toward the opening door of a turbolift. Two people were coming with the droid and everyone knew who they were.

Luke ran to the turbolift and the whistles of the short droid grew louder until the man stopped before it. Artoo was humanly happy to see Luke and showed it in the only way it knew, twisting and whistling as loud as it could. Luke knelt before the droid, forgetting Han and Leia. Artoo then started talking, running over the friend with an unstoppable melody. When the short machine finished its speech Luke smiled and patted on its head.

"I've missed you too, Artoo. The astromech droid they gave me is so silent."

Artoo-Detoo answered, the little droid was plainly angry for the misbehaving of that other droid. Luke shook the head, smiling to calm it.

"It doesn't matter now, friend."

Artoo agreed. 

Han coughed and Luke instantly looked up at him. The Jedi stood up and they looked at each other for a moment, angrily. Then they both exploded in a loud shout and hugged each other. 

"I was thinking you've missed that little droid more than us, kid!" 

Luke opened his mouth to answer, his eyebrows already frowned. But Leia, as shining as a star in her blue dress, took a step toward them and placed a hand on the shoulder of her brother. 

"You'll talk later, the ceremony has to begin."

The two men glanced at each other then did a very formal military salute. Leia gave them a cheesy smile and turned. The woman took a step in the direction of the turbolift and the group composed immediately and followed her. 

"I've prepared three rooms for you and the Padawans." Announced then the Senator, a meter far from the turbolift and she knew Luke had immediately nodded.

The Senate was the exact copy of the one once been on Coruscant. It made everyone feel dizzy the first time they took a look in that chasm at the hundreds of locations for the senators, who filled most of the seats, chattering with their well-known diplomacy. When, from the bottom of the pit, rose a rounded location, similar to the Senators's, the Senate silenced immediately. Three people were on it.

Han, uncomfortable in his official military suit, swallowed taking a worried look around. Leia turned a little and touched his hand, smiling to calm her husband. Mothma saw the scene out of the corner of her eye, without losing her stiff and solemn posture, shining in the black elegant suit trimmed with the presidential symbols. After a deep bow Leia and Han sat down and Mothma started her speech. The platform slowly turned to let everyone see Mothma completely. Leia closed her eyes at the end of the speech, waiting, hoping. The enthusiastic applause of the Senate dispelled her doubts. No one but Han saw her tears of happiness. Leia looked at him, her eyes were two diamonds in the soft light. Han smiled with her. Then the woman turned to a platform at her left. A hooded figure nodded and she nodded after it. 

Two platforms moved smoothly near the presidential one. Leia didn't understand immediately why but all became clear when Mothma turned toward Luke and the Jedi with him. In the following silence Luke and the Jedi took off the hoods. Even the younger ones were serious and immobile like statues. 

Luke linked the minds of his Padawans in a comforting ring before he talked.

His charming voice enchanted the audience for one hour, but no one noticed it. The Master wanted to thank one by one who'd made the Academy possible but there wasn't enough time. At half of his speech he silenced, iced by a terrifying perception. The Jedi turned immediately to detect the source of the perception. Luke didn't. He seized the parapet of the platform and stared in front of him, while his mind was expanding in the Senate. He found a sign, something like a mental luminescent trace. He followed the trace but a moment before to arrive at the end of the trace Luke heard a rustling and then shouts and screams. He turned and saw Irene bending forward. He and Rjssdek grabbed her a moment before she fell down from the platform. Rjssdek left Irene's arm and Luke bent the knees, softening her fall. The eyes of the woman were dull and looked at Luke without really seeing him. Then, as if someone had hit her on the head, Irene fainted. 

"She's tired." Whispered Luke, looking around but everyone heard him. Leia rose and whispered something to Mothma who nodded and announced the party for the inauguration of Chewo Coruscant. The Senators left slowly their platform and followed the four gracious women, or men – to delight the female senators as the male ones – who led them to the enormous, majestic, fabulous Peace Salon. Luke, holding Irene by the waist stayed until the last Senator left. The Jedi Academy was alone now, Mothma Leia and Han had been the first who had left the Senate. Luke waited another second then pivoted, giving in the same time the orders to the apprentices. 

The second platform rapidly reached the wall and smoothly docked. The door shifted aside immediately and the group, with Lukas at the head, headed to the party. The Jedi who were with Luke jumped from the platform, landing noiselessly on other platforms long the rounded walls. Luke glanced at everyone then the five Apprentices started the search. Rjssdek kept in contact with Luke while he was examining a platform far from him. 

_There's something wrong here, Luke._

_I know, I can feel it. It's the same perception I had when I met…_

_…the hooded boy. I was afraid of this. Rjssdek finished Luke's thought, for the young Master was too surprised to do it himself. In the half darkness the long hands explored, without touching anything, the elegantly carved surface of the seats, of the parapet, of the wall. In the Force flowing the trace was still visible and Rjssdek followed it._

_How did they let him come to the inauguration?!_

_That boy is not who he seems. Rjssdek's answer iced Luke. But a movement in his arms distracted him from his thoughts. _

"Luke…" called Irene, moving slowly, trying to make her head stop twisting. Luke caressed her cheek.

"I'm here…don't worry." 

The woman wide opened her eyes trying to see Luke but she found out she couldn't. She knew Luke was near, she could feel the warmth of his body, its smell but she couldn't see it.

"Luke!" Cried out moving the head and the hands. Luke gently stopped her arms and made the woman sit on the floor. Irene was crying, her once green eyes were black, completely black. Luke was terrified too but his voice came out calm and encouraging.

"Keep calm, dear. Keep calm…" He spoke softly, caressing her hair, surrounding her cold body, so small and fragile in the brown cloak to seem to vanish . He would have cried out a deafening imprecation against that boy and probably killed him if he had been another man. But he was Luke. _Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master, Guardian of the Republic. The problem in that dark moment seemed enormous and no one had to know what had happened. Luke sighed and stood up holding Irene in his arms; without moving the hand on the control of the platform, it moved and reached the wall. The door opened and Luke, explaining the situation to the others who were still in the Senate, exited. _

The corridor was empty and softly lightened by a yellowish light from the ceiling, as most of the city. The smell of wet paint was a constant, as in the rooms that Leia had reserved to the Jedi in the Second Tower, but Luke was getting used to it.

In the Peace Salon the party was going on better than Leia could imagine, everyone was enthusiastic of Chewo Coruscant and her face was hurting for how many times she had smiled. Han was with her, a bit uncomfortable in his elegant suit as he had been with the military one, saving his wife from the most boring people when they did their best to make them fall asleep. The music stopped when, on the main entrance of the salon Lukas, followed by half of the Jedi Order, appeared. Their presence was enough to ice the atmosphere. 

In the way toward the Senator, Lukas explained the situation to Leia, who promptly referred to Han. After the greetings the more courageous people in the room reached Lukas, taking him as a kind of leader, and nearly fought to talk to him or to the other. Lukas then, over the crowd around him saw something.

Sitting on a chair talking to other three Senators, there was a young guy, with a long black hooded tunic, embroidered with golden swirls and symbols. The boy eyes him for a moment, reducing his eyes into two menacing fissures. The left angle of the mouth rose in a sinister half smile. Lukas drew a step back but no one noticed it and a fat Senator, dressed in green and yellow with heavy rings on every fingers, ran over him with a silly story about a threatening beast that was, in his fantasy, he had defeated, saving even a Jedi.

_Master, you think…_

_I'm sure of it_


End file.
